Our look back at the top stories of the year is sponsored by the Republic Mud Run, southwest Missouri’s only mud run that’s exclusively for youth! The first got Mud? Run will be held Saturday, August 29, at Brookline Park. It will feature three age divisions (5-7, 8-10, and 11-15), with age-appropriate obstacles for each. Get more information at RepublicMudRun.com, or get registered online right now.
#10 (Tie) Lady Tigers Soccer & Lady Tigers Basketball
Two outstanding seasons by two Lady Tigers teams were tied for the #10 story of the year in our fan vote.
The Lady Tigers basketball team had one of its best seasons ever, despite ending in disappointment in the state quarterfinals. They racked up 25 wins and only lost four times. Three of those losses were to teams ranked in the top five by the Missouri basketball coaches association, and two of them were to eventual state champion Columbia Rock Bridge. They also set a team record with 175 three-pointers for the season. And they did it during their first season competing in Class 5, after moving up from Class 4 the previous year.
The Lady Tigers soccer team was supposed to be in a rebuilding mode after graduating the two leading scorers in program history: Sara Marcotte and Sierra Casagrand. Instead, they teamed up to shatter several school records in a surprisingly successful season. They Lady Tigers went 17-6, good for a record .769 winning percentage. They scored 85 goals, also a record. And goalkeeper Jessica Laster turned in 12 shutouts — just one game short of the state’s all-time top ten in that category. The season also included a six-assist game by Emily Jordan. That’s tied for the most assists in a game in Missouri girls soccer history.