By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Francie McBride’s first season at Branson went exactly the same way her previous 24 years as a head coach had gone.
Winning.
The Lady Pirates won the program’s first district title in more than a decade, advancing to Class 4 quarterfinals before falling to eventual Class 4 state champion Willard.
“It was so special to be able to see the program experience that after all those years,” said McBride. “There’s nothing like it and I hope being in that position made them hungry to work even harder this season to try to get back there again.”
Branson returns three starters from last year’s 20-12-1 team and will look for the program’s third consecutive 20-win season.
Junior Quinn Swofford is back for Branson despite tearing her ACL in last year’s Elite Eight loss to Willard.
Swofford finished last season with 365 digs.
“She has recently been fully cleared and we cannot wait to get her back on the court,” said McBride. “She is a positive force and leader on the floor and brings so much energy.”
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Seniors Kayli Thomas and Abi Thomas will look to provide a presence on both sides of the net. Kayli – a middle – led the team with 136 blocks last year, adding 150 kills as well.
“Kayli provides a strong block in the middle,” said McBride. “She’s very explosive and has gained a lot of strength in the off season.”
Junior Allison Thomas also returns after collecting 102 kills as a sophomore.
“She was a six-rotation player for us last season,” said McBride. “She’s a strong kid who is very court smart and brings great energy, I’m expecting to see great things from all of these athletes.”
Junior Brooke Williams – a transfer from Fountain Hills, Arizona – is also expected to provide an immediate impact. She’s a versatile, 6-foot athlete that can play the middle or outside.
Several other juniors and sophomores will compete for varsity reps this fall.
Branson will certainly miss the offense and leadership that departed seniors Morgan LeBlanc (Jefferson College) and Kierstyn Harmon (Hannibal LaGrange) provided, but the program will continue to move in a direction that makes defense its calling card, which has been a staple throughout McBride’s Hall of Fame career.
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“Defense is something I feel wins ball games because it’s the mindset of not quitting that’s vital,” said McBride. “I always put a great amount of focus on making sure we are a fundamentally sound team in all skills but defense especially.
“We are overall a very young squad so we are still putting a lot of time into training these kids to learn to move the way we want them to but we are seeing great progress. We ultimately want to be able to compete with a very strong COC schedule so that will mean utilizing every opportunity we have in the gym every day to get there.”
Branson will jamboree at Glendale with West Plains. The Lady Pirates will open the 2021 season on Aug. 28 in the Branson Invitational.
