Heinzler Harmon to Receive "Filbert Five" Award

Former Republic basketball great Alice Heinzler Harmon will be recognized by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as a recipient of a Filbert Five Award, giving to people “who made significant contributions in the sport of basketball at the high school, collegiate and/or professional level,” according to a news release by the Hall of Fame.

Harmon was a two-time all-state basketball selection, making the first team in 2012 and 2013. She helped the Lady Tigers win a state championship in 2012. In 2013, she and the Lady Tigers were even more dominant, but finished 25-2 after losing on an overtime buzzer-beater in the district championship game to West Plains.

One of Harmon’s best games occurred on February 16, 2013, when she scored 36 points and made seven three-pointers in a win against state-ranked Dexter. She scored 15 points in the final quarter, helping the Lady Tigers dig out of a big hole. At the time, 36 points and seven three-pointers were both school records.

In 2012, Harmon made three free throws in the final 40 seconds of the state championship game, finishing with a team-high 16 points to help Republic beat Smithville for a state championship.

Harmon went on to play at College of the Ozarks, leading the Lady Bobcats to a second-place finish in the NAIA Tournament. Later, at Drury, she scored 1,078 points in three seasons as the Lady Panthers reached the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 three years in a row.