Meet the Springfield area's top girls high school basketball sophomores entering 2023-24
It would be difficult to find many areas that are more proud of their girls' basketball than the Ozarks and we should be in for another great year across southwest Missouri.
A few of the biggest names from recent years return for their sophomore years. The best players include those who earned all-state and conference player of the year honors.
With tip-off for the regular season quickly approaching, here are the top sophomore players in southwest Missouri heading into the season.
Quinn Aldridge, Marshfield
Aldridge started for one of the best teams in the Ozarks as a freshman. She averaged 11 points per game and shot 38% from beyond the arc. She also grabbed an average of three boards and a pair of assists. She's only going to get better and Marshfield will continue to be among the elite teams in southwest Missouri.
More: All of our 2023-24 Missouri State, high school basketball preseason coverage in one place
Awbree Berning, Republic
The Lady Tigers are going to have a few shots up for the taking following Kaemyn Bekemeier's graduation. Berning could be one to take on a bigger role offensively as a 5-foot-10 wing who can score all over the court. She's also touted as a great defender and rebounder.
Hailey Buckman, Eden Kibby & Reagan Rasmussen, Logan-Rogersville
Buckman, Kibby and Rasmussen have the Logan-Rogersville program going in the right direction. After a pair of eight-win seasons, the Wildcats went 14-14 last year and have a trio of standouts who will lead this team for the next three years. Buckman averaged 16 points and six rebounds per game last season, Kibby averaged 12 points and Rasmussen averaged 10 points and six boards. The first two are excellent shooters from beyond the arc. There is much to look forward to with the Wildcats.
Carly Cribbs, Bolivar
Bolivar is another team that had a great turnaround last year. It went from 5-17 to 19-9 and it has Cribbs as a building block for the future. Cribbs is a guard who proved she was one of the best guards in the area as a freshman while earning all-district honors.
More: Meet the Springfield area's top girls high school basketball seniors entering 2023-24
Lucy Hafer, West Plains
The Hafer name has been very good across southwest Missouri, particularly in West Plains where another one is coming up. This Hafer is a 5-foot-8 standout on the volleyball court, basketball court and track. The shooting guard is an athlete worth watching for one of the better girls' basketball programs in the area.
Ashlynn Helton, Loghann Leivan & Rachel Nunez, Miller
There was no dropoff for a proud Miller girls' basketball program after graduating a few of its stars. The Lady Cardinals instead added a trio of freshmen who led the program to its fifth-straight district title and fourth 25-win season in the last five years. Leivan emerged as the top player of the trio while earning first-team All-Southwest Conference recognition with the other two landing on the second team. Leivan proved to be one of the best offensive players in the area.
Elsie Larsen, Strafford
The daughter of the head coach, Larsen already looks like one of the best point guards in southwest Missouri and she showed legitimate Division I potential as a freshman. Larsen was the lone Class 3 freshman to make the all-state team while averaging 15.4 points, six rebounds, five assists and 2.4 steals per game. She's proven to be a selfless player who might have the highest ceiling of all the underclassmen in the area.
More: Meet the Springfield area's top girls high school basketball juniors entering 2023-24
Josie Salazar, Kickapoo
Look for Salazar to be among the best players in the area. She's coming off an Ozark Conference All-Defensive Team as a freshman. She holds an offer from Missouri Southern as a speedy 5-foot-6 point guard who is a capable 3-point shooter and is praised for her motor. We'll see how much more attention she gets over the next few years.
Mattie Zingg, Glendale
Glendale went from a four-win team to 20 wins. The Lady Falcons might be here to stay. Zingg was part of the success while averaging 10.9 points and 5.1 boards last year as a 6-foot forward. Zingg can play multiple positions and will now be counted on for more heading into this season following a few graduations.
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. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield area top sophomore girls high school basketball players 2023-24
