Bluejays add big freshman class

DUSTIN HENGGELER/DAILY FORUM
The 2017-2018 Northeast Nodaway girls basketball team is front: Anne Schieber, Paige West, Makayla Adwell, Taylor Coffelt and Brittany Moran; back: Cassie Redden, Madelynn Mattson, Gerry Runde Blair Stoll and Tierney Privett. Not pictured is Angela Standiford.

Facing the plague of small numbers and crucial injuries at the start of last season, the Northeast Nodaway Lady Bluejays survived off of a seven, then six, player squad that finished 6-19 and 1-12 in conference play.

This season the team returns with several new faces of freshmen and a returning core to help give the team the needed experience to build from.

Third-year coach Joyce Stiens, whose expertise in high school basketball spans throughout much of northwest Missouri, is joined this year by Linda Mattson.

The squad includes eight incoming freshmen Cassie Redden, Angela Standiford, Paige West, Blair Stoll, Ann Schieber, Madelynn Mattson, Tierney Privett and Victoria Moran. Sophomore Brittany Moran completes the underclassmen. Juniors Gerry Runde and Makayla Adwell and senior Taylor Coffelt complete the 11-member squad.

Coffelt’s athleticism was greatly missed last year when an early-season ended her possibility of taking the court. This season her leadership and ferocity will be exactly what the team needs to turn the program around.

“We hope to rely on the leadership of our junior and senior players to provide some consistency as we begin the season,” Stiens said. “Our younger girls are scrappy and will need to adjust to the tempo of high school basketball.”

Through the progression of both hard work in practice and unmatched effort during games, Stiens hopes the young team can continue to grow as the season goes on. She plans for the team to peak in time for the post season.

The team will get enough challenge out of the gate with a road-trip to Albany November 21 to start the season off, followed by the ever-challenging Platte Valley Invitational.