Motivated by banners, Marshfield girls basketball wants to hang one of its own
MARSHFIELD — Growing up as a star basketball player in southwest Missouri, Katie Pritchard always heard about the greatness of the Marshfield girls' program.
A standout at Waynesville, Pritchard knew Marshfield had its run of 102 consecutive victories from 1987-90. She knew the dynasty that the likes of Melody Howard, Scott Ballard and many others helped build.
Pritchard experienced first-hand what Marshfield was capable of when her Waynesville team, one that qualified for the Class 5 quarterfinals later in the year, was handed a 71-39 defeat.
"I remember walking in thinking 'What's this team about?'" Pritchard said. "And they showed us really quickly the toughness and the winning mentality that comes with the program."
Years later, Pritchard now patrols the sideline while wearing Marshfield's royal blue. The seven state championship, three third-place and one fourth-place banners hang from the gym's walls as she coaches a team that might be capable of hanging one of its own by the end of the season.
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The toughness and winning mentality that Pritchard experienced when she played against the Lady Jays over a decade ago is alive and well under her leadership and those on her team who grew up watching the program.
"Ever since they saw this as kids, they want to get that feeling," Pritchard said. "They want to put that banner up and replicate that. That's really what's been driving them."
Marshfield and its four seniors are well on their way to their fourth-consecutive 20-win season. An elusive district championship has escaped the Lady Jays over the stretch but they currently own the best record in their Class 5 district and have as good of a chance as they've had at winning it since a third-place finish in the state a decade ago.
The Lady Jays have been led by a star senior duo in Lauren Luebbert and Abby McBride who have started since their freshmen seasons. When Pritchard, one of the great Drury Lady Panthers of all time, left the Drury sideline as an assistant for the Marshfield job, she was told about the class that has helped turn the Lady Jays back into a consistent winner.
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"It's an honor to wear a Lady Jays uniform," McBride said. "You see these banners hung up on the wall. It's just crazy to think of all these people who came before us and how successful they were. We just strive to be like them"
McBride has made her name known as one of the best on-ball defenders in the area. Luebbert, who McBride's played basketball with since sixth grade, has emerged as one of the best players in the state as a two-time All-Big 8 East Player of the Year and an all-state performer.
The two were seventh graders when Pritchard took the job and she was teased about their potential even then. Two years later, everything she heard about the group came true as she saw them install a competitive edge that had been missing.
The current senior group's impact, which also includes Halle Menzies and Lillie Findley, has been contagious throughout the program. The Lady Jays have taken steps forward each year and they've beaten a few of the area's best teams this year including Fair Grove, Skyline, Glendale and Aurora.
"We've matured so much," Luebbert said. "We had a lot of young players my sophomore year and there weren't really any senior starters. Just growing in maturity, growing on the court basketball-wise and mentally, I think has helped us tremendously."
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The next step for Marshfield is winning its first district since 2014. It's come close over the previous three seasons but three state-semifinalist West Plains teams keep getting in the way or great Rolla teams. The Lady Jays are constantly having to go up against one of the most competitive Class 5 districts the state offers.
Marshfield's seniors know that now's the time to strike because there is no next season for them. Rolla is out of the district now but West Plains remains and has started to play better in recent weeks. McDonald County has taken a major step forward this season and Carl Junction is coming off a Class 5 second-place finish.
"We've had some great Lady Jays basketball players and teams and we're just trying to live up to that expectation and put a banner on the wall ourselves," Luebbert said. "We haven't been happy with what we've done in districts the past three years. It's now or never."
Pritchard knows the pain she's seen in the eyes of her players when she's had to deliver the end-of-season speeches in the locker room following a district defeat. Only one coach in each district gets to see the joy on their player's faces when they lift the first-place trophy over their heads.
An incredibly proud Marshfield girls' basketball program is back to being a consistent winner thanks in large part to Pritchard and her group of freshmen.
Their biggest goal now is to have a trophy, and maybe even a banner, to show for it.
"It's been their goal from day one," Pritchard said. "They know it's their last opportunity to do it. They've felt the hurt and they've been in situations where they've almost done it and they've been so close. To get over the hump would be huge; they've been talking about it for four years.
"They've taken the lumps and have been learning after every single one of those. I think they're ready to go out there and compete."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Marshfield girls basketball motivated to make deep postseason run
