Definitely is another year where the top 4 teams are far ahead of the bottom 4. But right now I have no idea how I think the top 4 will finish. I think you could give me any result with those top 4 and I would not really be surprised.
Thayer should be the clear favorite. But losing the SCA player the year to Link and another starter to West Plains means they are going to fall off some. But they still have the Bowers girl and she is really good. They have an incoming freshman that is really solid and if I recall their JV the last couple years has been really solid. So they may not fall off as much as some might expect.
Mtn Grove has the most athletic girl in the conference in Stenzel. They graduated a couple really good players. But they have athletic fast girls who can step in and keep playing the style Mallow likes to play. And I think they have an advantage of having the best/most experienced coach in the conference. If they can force teams to play to their pace and control the game they will be hard to handle on most nights for teams.
Willow has perhaps the best player in the conference and bring back several other contributors. They definitely impressed last year. They should benefit from the continuity of bringing so much back.
Liberty graduated a good one in Wells and a couple other good role players. They bring back 2 really solid players. The Chowning girl will be a handful for teams to deal with. She is quick and strong and can get to the basket pretty much any time she likes.
So it is going to be an interesting year to see how those 4 shake out. Gun to my head at making a preseason prediction I would say:
1. Thayer. They are top dog until someone can knock them off
2. Willow
3. Grove
4. Liberty
Of the rest of the teams I would expect Ava to be the best of the rest. I do not think they had a senior on team last year and made improvements as the year went on.
Willow will have some obstacles to overcome with Atwell graduating and Jackson not playing this year,
But their 6th man was a 6 foot post player and the senior that I’m guessing will fill the other starting roll is athletic as crap and physical.
They’ll be starting 1 senior, 3 juniors and a soph with 2 six footers in the post and probably the best player in the SCA for this year.
Grove will definitely be athletic. They just have A LOT of athletes, I wouldn’t be shocked if Stenzel didn’t play this year to be honest. Their athleticism will keep them in games that a less athletic team would be getting blown out in.
Liberty is kind of a mystery to me. I guess it depends on how much the PG gets to the FT line. Seems like all she did last year against Willow was drive the lane and throw up ball and yell and fall down and go to the line. If she’s relying on that for 40% of her points like she did last year and that’s supposed to be the way they win games, I just don’t see it.
Thayer is even more of a mystery. Best player transferring to link, another starter to WP, and I’ve heard rumblings about another player that was supposed to be one of the better ones may not be playing this year(not confirmed, just rumors) so idk what to think.
