Norm Stewart Classic 2022: How Rock Bridge girls basketball is growing into its potential

Rock Bridge girls basketball will be the first to admit the team's opening weeks of the season have been difficult to navigate.

The Bruins graduated the Class 6 player of the year that's at the University of Missouri, and two other players now playing college basketball. In their stead are underclassmen and a group of seniors trying to grow up on the fly.

That's easier said than done, but Rock Bridge has done just that under now-hall-of-fame head coach Jill Nagel.

"We hadn't really all played together yet," senior Bella Corrado said after Rock Bridge beat Grain Valley at the 2022 Norm Stewart Classic. "A lot of people want to say it's already mature because they've been playing in club ball, but it's a lot different than club ball."

Rock Bridge began the year 2-3 with those losses coming against John Burroughs, Blue Valley North and Battle. The Bruins, however, have started to click.

Against Grain Valley in the Norm Stewart Classic, and against Quincy Notre Dame in the Sophie Cunningham Classic, Rock Bridge has shown that it's growing as a team through a schedule that's meant to test a younger Bruins lineup.

"We've always said trust the process," Nagel said after the Bruins defeated Quincy Notre Dame on Dec. 4. "We're playing a tough schedule."

In the first weeks of the season, Nagel has tinkered with the starting lineup, not because the team has struggled. It's because she's trying different kinds of looks and defenses, and her players are understanding of that.

Since that 2-3 start, RB is now 5-3. The 51-46 win over Grain Valley at the Norm Stewart Classic was a sign of how the team understands a game plan and can execute it at a high level.

University of Missouri signee Grace Slaughter scored 34 of the Eagles' 46 points in an awesome display of offense. But, Rock Bridge worked hard to ensure no one else on the team would be in a position to beat the Bruins.

Meanwhile, Corrado was named game MVP by going 3 for 3 from 3-point range and sophomore Mari Miller was the powerhouse behind the team's overall success.

"If you play hard, good things are going to happen," Nagel said. "That's why I'm proud that we got rewarded for it."

Already playing hard are sophomore Malia Chievous and freshman Jayda Porter. The two are new additions to the Bruins' varsity squad and are new additions to the starting lineup. Chievous has displayed consistent defense and a strong drive to the rim. Porter is already an elite shot blocker.

Chievous and Porter aren't new to basketball by any means; they both have played club basketball and have a good number of games under their belts.

But, it's a different game going from club basketball to high school basketball.

"It's really more about running plays and defense rather than showing off," Corrado said. "We can be really good, we just got to figure everything out first."

Rock Bridge is currently on a three-game winning streak. The Bruins are hitting a stride where they can win a game with offense, as seen in a 74-40 win over Willard, and with defense, as seen in wins over Grain Valley and Quincy Notre Dame.

Losses to programs like Battle, a program that built itself with a goal of beating Rock Bridge, and John Burroughs, the reigning Class 4 state champion, are road bumps for a young team.

Those road bumps are disappearing. Rock Bridge is evolving into a talented team that understands how to win.

"There is no ceiling in my opinion," Corrado said. "We can be really good. We just got to figure everything out."

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Rock Bridge girls basketball is growing into its potential