After an absent season due to low numbers, the Purdy girls basketball team was back in action this year and building toward a revamp of the program.
The Lady Eagles finished 2-17, earning wins over Everton, 47-38, in the Verona Tip-Off Invitational on Nov. 27, 2024, and Thomas Jefferson, 24-21, on Dec. 12, 2024.
“I think we got better defensively and our knowledge of the game improved [throughout the season],” said Stephanie Heman, Purdy girls basketball coach. “We have to take care of the ball and limit the number of turnovers. We work hard defensively to get a stop or a turnover, and then we turn it back over.”
Though Purdy struggled to put tallies in the win column, the Lady Eagles played many games close, including four losses by 4 points or less.
“Our overtime loss to School of the Ozarks was a great game,” Heman said. “We were down 4 points with 20 seconds left in the game and ended up tying the score on a 3-pointer and a steal that led to a foul with 1.6 seconds and two free throws.
“We made one to send it to overtime and then lost by 4. They never gave up and battled to the end. At this point in the season we were only playing with six players.”
Purdy started the season with only eight players, and only one senior finished the season.
“We started the season with two seniors and finished with one,” Heman said. “Zoey Webb was a great leader for us both on and off the court. Her experience at the high school level was instrumental for us. She was probably our best defender. We will definitely miss her leadership, speed and work ethic.”
With two sophomores and four freshmen returning, Heman said the Lady Eagles have one thing for sure — potential.
“We just have to keep working in the offseason to get stronger and more confident,” Heman said. “We played hard every game and gave ourselves a chance to win in many games we just couldn’t finish. They learned a great deal this year and we need to continue to build on that. We improved so much from the beginning of November to the end of the season.”
Purdy had three games canceled due to weather or sickness that it did not reschedule, and Heman said the team is looking forward to next season and more wins.
“Obviously we would like to win more games,” she said. “We are going to continue to work hard, get stronger defensively and finish those close games.”
