MIAA slate begins for Missouri Western, girls coming off victory against Kansas Christian
By Calvin Silvers
The Missouri Western women’s basketball team was on a three game win streak before it was gifted a short break before returning to the court on Saturday. After a two and a half week break from the MIAA, the Griffons will find themselves back in conference play this Thursday and Saturday on the road.
Ending with a 5-1 record in the month of December, the Griffs are hoping to carry that type of success not only into the new year, but the rest of the MIAA slate.
The women did compete on Dec. 30 and are coming off a 147-16 victory over Kansas Christian College on Saturday, their first test back after a short break. In the contest, the Griffons tallied nine program records and seven MIAA records in the contest, a positive way to break conference play.
“Getting up and down more than anything. I mean, I was really proud of our team and the discipline they played with,” head coach Candi Whitaker said. “I think those types of games are actually very, very difficult to play in and really kept their level, you know, at a high level and didn’t play down to competition and played really hard.”
Western had seven players score in double figures, forced 45 turnovers, made a program record 20 three-pointers and held Kansas Christian to only 11.1% shooting from the field.
The mix of practicing hard, but also having time to step away and enjoy the holidays, contributed to the team being ready.
“It’s a really good mental break to step away, spend time with family, and have a christmas. We sent them workout suggestions and things to try to keep them in as good a shape as they could, Whitaker said. “But we still really kind of hit the reset button and get a chance to recharge.”
As common in the MIAA, teams will go through two road game series throughout the year, and it’s no different for the Griffs. They begin 2024 with a road trip to Oklahoma , where they’ll face Rogers State on Thursday and Northeastern State on Saturday.
Going on the road after a break could be worrisome, but not for Whitaker and company.
Our kids are veteran enough, experienced enough to know how good everyone in this league is,” Whitaker said. “We’ve got to show up whether we’re at home or on the road and play with the same intensity and intention to do things the way we teach.”
When facing Rogers State, the team will be expecting the Hillcats to pound the ball inside, utilizing their size down in the paint. When looking at Northeastern, Whitaker described them as unconventional, with a smaller lineup. However, the smaller lineup led to craftier guards and decisions.
Luckily for the Griffs, the non-conference has prepared them for the rest of the season.
“We’ve seen a little bit of everything. We’ve played different style people and we’ve played a lot of isolation teams that will see in the MIAA. We’ve played high, low teams that will see in the MIAA, see a lot of ball screens, we’ve seen that all year,” Whitaker said. “I don’t think there’s anything x’s and o’s wise we won’t see. I think we’ll just see a consistent level of toughness, physicality.”
