Sore toe or not, Rachel Connell is an all-state player.
Despite missing several games in the middle of the season due to toe surgery Connell, a 5-11 junior guard for the St. James High School girls’ basketball team, was selected to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) Girls’ Class 4 All-State Team, it was announced this week.
It’s the second straight season Connell has been selected to the all-state squad. The Missouri Sportswriters/Sportscasters Association all-state teams are scheduled to be announced in a couple of weeks.
Just prior to the holiday break Connell suffered a toe injury which required surgery. She returned in January after missing eight games and didn’t miss a beat. The Lady Tigers went on to repeat as district tournament champions and advanced to the Class 4 Quarterfinals, losing there to eventual state champion Webb City for the second straight year.
St. James finished with a 25-4 record and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the Class 4 regular-season poll despite Connell’s injury.
“Even after she went down, she came back strong,” said St. James head coach Brad Conway. “Her first game back she had 20 (points) against (state-ranked) St. Clair. She just does a good job of making everybody else around her better. Sometimes she’s too unselfish.
“She missed eight games and one of the keys for her being able to come right back is she was in such good shape. She just kept working at it.”
Connell ended up averaging 16 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.3 steals, shot 37 percent from three-point range and 74 percent from the free throw line.
Next season Connell will be a senior. Much like the unselfish Jennifer Bowen did her senior season during a three-time all-state Lady Tiger career, Conway is hopeful that Connell will become more aggressive as a scorer in 2010-11.
“We tried to do that with her this year,” Conway said. “I think she passed up a lot of shots, to get the ball to someone else for what she thought was a better shot. She pretty much has the green light any time, but she is always looking for her teammates.
“She wants to win first.”
The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 4 All-State Girls’ Basketball Team:
Morgan Ankrom, jr., Farmington
Allyson Bradshaw, jr., Cape Gir. Notre Dame
Rachel Connell, jr., St. James
Tabitha Haney, jr., West Plains
Polly Harrington, sr., Hickman Mills
Hailey Houser, sr., O’Hara
Kaitlin Jaegar, jr., Webb City
Taylor Johnson, jr., Platte Co.
Jane Morrill, sr., Cape Gir. Notre Dame
Jennifer Rocha, jr., St. Dominic
Hailey Roderique, jr., Webb City
Karli Sample, sr., St. Joe Benton
Tierney Seifert, jr., Moberly
Maggie Vossbrink, sr., St. Francis Borgia
Brynn Williamson, jr., Staley
