Semoball

Veteran core joins forces with new coach as Meadow Heights sets sights high for 2017-18

Meadow Heights' Scott Pohlman is one of four returning starters for the Panthers this season.
Southeast Missourian file

Corey Brownsberger admits he's not the biggest fan of change.

The former Leopold coach wasn't sure what to expect when he got the chance to meet his players after being hired in the offseason to take over the Meadow Heights boys basketball team.

The transition has been practically seamless for Brownsberger, who enters his first season at the helm with a core group of four returning starters eager to take the Panthers program to new heights.

"I've been blown away from Day 1 since I walked in and took the job," Brownsberger said. "These kids have done exactly what I've asked them to do to the best of their ability. It's been a great move. ... I've been blown away at how hard these kids want to work and how much time they've put in to make up for, in their eyes, not getting as far as they should have last year."

Meadow Heights posted a 21-7 record last season and went on to earn the No. 2 seed in the Class 2 District 2 tournament. The Panthers were defeated by third-seeded Scott City in a 61-44 decision in the district semifinals, a loss that still lingers on their minds.

For Meadow Heights, the pursuit of finishing what it started is navigated by the return of fourth-year starter Lane Baremore, who averaged a team-leading 15.7 points per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per contest.

The 6-foot-3 senior is also a standout on the baseball field and will pursue a career at the next level after signing with Quincy University just before the start of the season.

"I was a little worried about where his head would be basketball-wise, and this kid has been one of the very first ones, if not the first one, in the gym every single day when I ask him to be here for practice or for an open gym or just to get some shots up," Brownsberger said about Baremore. "He's not the most talkative kid in the entire world, but just how he carries himself and how hard he works is something big for building this program back to being competitive year in and year out."

The rise of the Panthers' program in recent years directly coincides with Baremore's emergence. Upon arriving as a freshman for the 2014-15 season, Baremore helped guide Meadow Heights to an uptick of 11 wins from the season prior.

The Panthers have won at least one game in the district tournament in each of the last three seasons, including a run to the district title game in 2015-16 when Baremore was a sophomore.

"It's been on a roll the last couple years, and we want that to keep going," Brownsberger said. "Having a kid like Lane is always very important. I've been blown away with how hard he wants to work and how he buys in to everything I say. That's not just Lane. That's all of them."

Meadow Heights lost two players to graduation in Devin Wilfong and Spencer Bragg. As a senior, Wilfong was a key player in the post who averaged a double-double with 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

Those departures may be a hurdle for the Panthers in 2017-18, but the return of seniors Trent Liley and Scott Pohlman along with junior Blake Bollinger should provide the team with an array of weapons both inside and out.

The 6-2 Pohlman has all the tools needed to score and rebound but is known most for his ability to guard multiple positions. At 6-2, Liley and Bollinger have impressed Brownsberger throughout the offseason with their ability to develop into more of a threat on the perimeter.

That core group will be accompanied by players like backup post player Dawson Lindgren, a senior who returned to the team after sitting out last season, and senior Alex Thompson, a defensive catalyst who can also score. Senior point guard Zac Liley is also in the mix for the fifth starting spot.

Brownsberger has also been impressed with the work ethic he's seen from sophomore Wyatt Lincoln, providing even more depth off the bench.

"Everybody's going to talk about Lane, and that's fine. But one thing we talked about from Day 1 is, 'If you don't care who scores but that we score, we're going to be pretty dangerous,'" Brownsberger said. "... We may not have five starters. We may have a situation where we have maybe seven, eight, nine guys that can all kind of rotate in to a couple different spots, based on who we're playing."

The Panthers' key objective is returning to the district final, but legacy remains at the forefront of their aspirations.

"They want to be one of the better teams that Meadow Heights has ever seen here," Brownsberger said. "It's been a long time since they've won the district. It's been since 1989. ... A lot of these guys have uncles or cousins who played on that team. They want to get their names up there on that banner.

"That being said, it's a lot of hard work, and a lot of bounces have to go your way. But I love the fact that these kids haven't backed away from that. They haven't been scared of it. They haven't said, 'Well, we don't want to set our expectations too high or too early.' They've come in and had a lot of energy and said, 'From Day 1, this is what we want to go after.'"


CLASS 2 DISTRICT 2

Conference

Mississippi Valley

Head coach

Corey Brownsberger

(1st year)

ROSTER

No.PlayerYearHt.
1Zac Liley125-9
2Wyatt Lincoln105-11
4Jacob Barks106-0
13Trent Liley126-2
14Blake Bollinger116-2
15Dawson Lindgren126-1
20Kage Fernnald116-3
21Lane Baremore126-3
23Logan Schlosser126-1
32Alex Thompson126-2
33Scott Pohlman126-2
35Isaac McMillan116-0
41Joe McDaniel116-2

STARTERS GONE

Spencer Bragg

Devin Wilfong

STARTERS BACK

Lane Baremore

Blake Bollinger

Trent Liley

Scott Pohlman

SCHEDULE

DateOpponentTime
11/21Herculaneum7:30 p.m.
11/27Woodland Invitational Tourn.
12/8@Kelly7:30 p.m.
12/12Delta7:30 p.m.
12/15@Bismarck7:30 p.m.
12/19Chaffee7:30 p.m.
12/26SEMissourian XMas Tourn.
1/2@Leopold7:30 p.m.
1/5@Oran7:30 p.m.
1/9Lesterville7:30 p.m.
1/12Woodland7:30 p.m.
1/16Marquand7:30 p.m.
1/19@Advance7:30 p.m.
1/23Zalma7:30 p.m.
1/24Scott City7:30 p.m.
1/29Mississippi Valley Conf. Tourn.
2/6@Oak Ridge7:30 p.m.
2/13@Greenville7:30 p.m.
2/15@St. Vincent7:30 p.m.

LAST SEASON

RECORD

21-7

LEADERS

Points: Lane Baremore (15.7 ppg)

Rebounds: Devin Wilfong (10.8 rpg)

Assists: Baremore (4.9 apg)

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