The back-to-back undefeated CLAA Conference champion Higbee Lady Tigers return two starters, two part-time starters, and an All-State senior to this year’s rotation. Higbee finished 22-7 overall a year ago as a district runner-up.

Coach Tanner Burton returns for his 13th season with a 199-114 record over 12 years coaching the Higbee girls. He said his team is poised to pick up from where they left off a year ago, with an experienced core and a strong cadre of juniors. Leading the way will be senior All-State sharpshooter Lauren Spilman, who scored 15.4 points a game last year, knocking down 32.1 percent of her shots from the 3-point line.

“Lauren is a tremendous shooter and can drop daggers from just over half court,” Burton said. “This stretches defenses out for us. She runs point and shooting guard roles for us. She has a natural knack for the game and gives us a good advantage as she walks into her senior year. Her dedication will pay dividends.”

Spilman also pulled down five rebounds a game, made 3.6 steals, and dished out two assists. Her numbers brought about a slew of accolades, including an All-State selection, and she was named All-District by media and coaches, and has multiple All-Conference and CLAA All-Tournament Team honors.

And Spilman wasn’t alone in the scoring last year. Junior Kiersten Rockett averaged 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last year while shooting 35.7% from the arc.

“Kiersten is extremely versatile, and her height and athleticism make her a tough matchup as she can play any spot on the floor,” Burton explained. “She again gives us a position to stretch out our defense. This kid is flat out gritty and will be a tough matchup for many teams on our schedule.”

Higbee will have a significant absence on the court this year without four-year starter Ronnie Welch. The two-time conference MVP averaged 11.9 points a game as a senior last year, sinking 54.8 percent of her shots from the field. However, the Tigers will still have a Welch on the floor. Ava Welch is a 5’8 freshman who Burton said comes with an “insane” skill set.

“She is fortunate to have the right pieces around her already established at the varsity level. She will run some point and shooting guard duties, but she could create a mismatch as she is one of the taller girls on our team. Ava will come in as a newcomer except for the conference schools that saw her play in junior high.”

Two 5’5 juniors, Brooke Dougherty and Natalie Ritter, will likely get starting nods this year after headlining a few games last season. Dougherty averaged 3.4 points and three rebounds a contest last year. Coach Burton said she has a nice set of skills that she will have time to show off this season after being behind some solid talent a year ago. “She had a nice summer and could be a curveball for teams to figure out night in and night out.”

Ritter adds speed, as Burton said he expects her confidence to flourish this season after netting 1.7 points a game last year. “Natalie is very quick and will be a huge piece for us on both ends of the floor,” Burton said.

Another junior will likely see starting time. Karlee Kirkendoll averaged 2.4 points and 2.7 rebounds while sinking 48.9 percent of her shots off the bench last year.

“Karlee is a workhorse. She wants to win and wants to make sure her team is successful,” Burton said. “She is undersized in the paint, but outworks others. She is physical and does a nice job securing rebounds. She does a nice job finishing around the basket and will take a step up this season.”

Tigers fans will see a similar scheme on the court as in years past, with a team that likes to spread the floor and attack in transition. Higbee finished seventh in scoring in Class 1 last season, banking 1,616 points. The team also made 400 assists and sank 600 field goals.

“These kids have been playing together for a while and flow very well, moving the ball fluidly around the floor,” Burton said. “We have a pretty well-balanced team and have multiple outside threats, and then we have a variety that can get inside and outside slashing.”

Burton contends that three of his starting five could break for 25-plus points on any given night and says his top six are capable of at least 10 points each.

Defensively, Higbee again plans to exhaust their opponents with full-court pressure for 32 minutes a night. The Tigers forced 748 turnovers in 29 games last year, an average of more than 25 a contest, and play a tight 1-3-1 zone.

“Our defense turns into offense, so getting into a flow and moving is key to our success. We will look to stretch out defenses as we have five solid 3-point threats. We will be adding new wrinkles into our system to better fit our current players and create some scouting issues for our opponents, especially early in the season.”

After Higbee’s top six, the Tigers will rely on key sophomores Shyanna DeWeese and Jayla Schaedel, and freshmen Kylie Sinklear and Eliona Bruce.

Higbee faces a brutal schedule this season, almost entirely on the road. The varsity girls play just four home games, none of which occur until January. The Lady Tigers debut at LaPlata on Thursday, and face Lexington at the Saints Shootout at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly on Saturday.

Higbee’s first home game of the season is against CLAA opponent Tina-Avalon on January 6. By then, the Tigers will have at least 10 games under their belts, including at neutral sites in Kansas City, Moberly, and St. Joseph.

“We run a gauntlet,” Burton said about his wide-ranging schedule that includes tournaments in Centralia, Mendon, and Tina-Avalon, as well as shootouts in Jefferson City and Harrisburg. “We will be road warriors the first segment of the season. We also join the Centralia Tournament with Class 3 and 4 schools aplenty, including Boonville and Centralia, who were dominant last year. Our mindset is to play the best to be the best. We can’t have excuses. We must show up every night like it’s the toughest game of the year. We are adding weights and film to our daily routines, and we believe that will help take us to the next level. I am excited to see what these young ladies are capable of.

“We have the potential to be really good coming off of 19, 20, 20, and 22-win seasons. We again worked to bulk up our schedule to put us in the best position to make a postseason run. These young ladies have been in our system, some since sixth grade. So, having kids with six to seven years in a system makes them more comfortable and allows us to have a solid advantage of teams with coaching turnovers or substantial changes in schemes year to year. I like the kids that we have and the potential. It will come down to putting them in the right spots.”