June 13, 2009 11:11 pm
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By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Exeter girls coach Jason Cole believed before the season started that the Tigers, based on their experience and strong performance in 2007-08, could make a run for the MSHSAA Class 1 championship.
“I thought we had the opportunity,” Cole said.
Cole was a prophet. Exeter, capped by a dominating 56-31 win against Marion County at Columbia in Mizzou Arena, finished 30-1.
Cole, who was in his sixth season at Exeter, is The Globe’s girls coach of the year for 2008-09.
“Defense was the difference,” Cole said. “Definitely, we had to improve our defense. Our players bought into it.
“We guarded better,” Cole said. “We were a year older and more mature.
“We also had to solidify our bench,” Cole said. “We didn’t have a sixth man off the bench. It really depended on what we needed at the time.”
Returning Exeter starters included three seniors in Katie Chadd, Whitney Edie and Kasie Scott. Plus, Shelby Bowman, a junior, and sophomore Destani Stensrud had started.
Exeter was coming off a 22-7 effort that extended into a quarterfinal loss to Delta in the West Plains Civic Center.
Leaders off the bench this season were junior Nicholle O’Neill, sophomore Ashton Scott and freshman Abbey Scott.
Exeter was unbeaten (12-0) in the Ozark 7 Conference and the 6-foot-1 Edie was named its player of the year for the fourth time. It was the Tigers’ third title for the seniors.
The 6-foot-1 Edie averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds and piled up career totals of 2,792 points and 1,388 rebounds.
Stensrud added averages of 11 points and 3.1 assists. Bowman averaged 7.9 points.
“We wound up very balanced in categories such as steals and assists,” Cole said.
The Exeter loss came in the finals of the Walnut Grove Positronic Industries Holiday Classic. Couch, a Class 2 semifinalist, posted a 43-38 win.
The obvious question for Cole and assistant Jesse Paulsen, another Southwest product, is what can the Tigers do for an encore after the crown that equaled the boys’ 1962-63 edition? Those Tigers won Class S and finished 35-0 under Tom Hewgley.
“I believe we’ll be competitive and better than what a lot of people believe,” Cole said.
Cole, 32, is a native of Monett and a 1995 graduate of Southwest High School. He attended Crowder College before securing his degree from Missouri Southern.
Cole coached at Southwest for four years before accepting the Exeter position.
Cole is married to the former Tracie Burns, another Southwest graduate, and they have two children — daughter Kylee, 2, and son Kaden, who turns 1 in July.
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