By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

From the basement to the penthouse in just one year.

That’s the turnaround predicted for Carthage in Southwest Conference girls basketball.

Carthage is a unanimous choice to finish atop the conference after winning just two of eight league games last season.

But the Tigers’ ascent actually started in 2006-07. They recovered from a four-game tailspin in the Southwest to close out the regular season to win the Class 4 District 12 Tournament at Monett

Five players with starting experience and five more veterans return from a 14-12 edition.

“I believe 10 of those 12 losses were by 10 points or less,” Carthage coach Bobby Waggoner said. “We hope our experience can turn around at least several of those losses. Our strengths start with experience.”

Neosho is a unanimous pick to finish second and McDonald County missed unanimity by one point in placing third.

Nevada joined Carthage in winning Class 4 district titles last season. Carthage lost 51-44 to Republic and Nevada lost 66-35 to Bolivar in the sectional round.

Notes: Nevada coach Brent Bartlett said Lexi Johnson, 5-7 freshman who was injured in a recent auto accident, is expected to miss the season. ... Neosho’s Grant Young, replacing Jennifer Depoe, is the only new head coach in the Southwest. Young prepped at Union and secured undergraduate degree from Missouri State, where he was student manager under Steve Alford for two years. He assisted Jay Osborne at Nixa and Mark Fisher at Greenwood a year each before going to Wheatland in 2002-03. He was boys head coach for five years and girls head coach for three. The girls were 22-8 last season and lost to Leeton in a Class 1 quarterfinal. The boys were 25-7, Polk County League champions and fourth in Class 1 with losses to eventual champion Jefferson and LaPlata. ... All-leaguers galore return this season in the Southwest. First-teamers are Tessa Porter of McDonald County and Denise Taylor of Carthage. Second-teamers are Ryann Hartley of Carthage, Nicole Hudson of Webb City, Lindsay Rice of Nevada, Jaimee Shields of McDonald County and Lorelei Snow of Neosho.

A team-by-team preview:

Carthage Tigers

Coach: Bobby Waggoner (10th year). Assistants: Doug Garrison, Tara Waggoner.

2006-07 record: 14-12, 2-6.