How do you improve on a perfect season? Make it a little more perfect.
The junior varsity Lady Tigers basketball team did that this year, finishing their season with 19 wins and zero losses. That’s even better than their perfect previous season, when they won 17 games without a defeat.
They did it this season despite a big change midway through the year, when sophomores Brylee Argo, Logan Flood, and Jordan Kabetske moved to the varsity team full-time.
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“It never affected them,” says coach Tori Mooneyham. “There were several of them who weren’t getting the playing time they probably needed, just based on numbers. So once those other girls moved up, they got to step in and improve. It allowed some of those younger kids to blossom. I think they took advantage of the opportunity.”
Mooneyham says this team stood out for more than its undefeated record.
“They were the quietest, most unemotional team that I’ve ever coached in 15 years,” she says. “We tried working on that, but in their defense, because they were that way, they never panicked. They were a very composed team.
“I’ve told them that’s something they obviously need to work on. But…in their quiet little way, they took care of business.”
Republic’s JV girls have won 36 games in a row overall. Their last loss was in the final game of the season at Branson two years ago. Mooneyham says she’s coached two consecutive undefeated teams before, but this latest streak is different.
“A few years ago I had a group that went undefeated two years in a row, but they were pretty much the same girls (both seasons),” Mooneyham says. “Last year and this year were two completely different groups, especially after those three sophomores went up (to varsity).
The JV team’s success isn’t unique in Republic, which is traditionally strong at every level down through junior high. Mooneyham has won 250 games in her 15 junior varsity seasons, but says the program’s history helps ensure high-quality players entering the program as freshmen.
“I just think we have a lot of tradition and it obviously starts with the youth programs. When you have good coaches coaching at those levels and keeping kids involved, it makes a difference,” she says. “When you win state championships, that helps with the younger kids seeing that and putting that as their goal.”
