In the aftermath of their first winning season since 2019, the Park Hill South girls’ basketball team will insert two freshmen to the starting lineup that returns three starters.
Park Hill South freshman Addison Bjorn is looking to add talent to an already top-notch Lady Panther squad this season.
Juniors Regan Williams and Avery Simmons were the Lady Panthers’ leading scorers last winter along with leading shot blocker – and this year’s sole senior – Tatum Kells to bring back experience. Freshmen Addison Bjorn and Ava Miles are talented players who will be key pieces for the next four years.
“They’re phenomenal players, they’re both highly ranked and have colleges looking at them already,” Park Hill South head girls’ basketball coach Josh Dorr said. “They’re humble, they’re good teammates and they’re looking to be a part of the success we had last year and carry that on.”
Last year, Williams led the Lady Panther offense by scoring 14.3 points per game, while Simmons averaged 10.5 points, as they were the only players to score in double figures. Bjorn and Miles – who have both already received multiple Division-I offers before playing a single high school game – are looking to add to the offensive workload this season.
“I think we have plenty of people that can score, it’s just a matter of who’s open that night and who’s making the shots. That’s the other thing this group does a good job of sharing the ball well and none of them are out there to try to be the show; they’re just trying to be part of a team,” Dorr said.
Kells finished her junior campaign averaging 6.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks and her sister, Ava, is a sophomore and will be coming off the bench. Juniors Maggie Schmidt and Lauren Dittmer will add depth to the roster as well.
“They’re fast, so we’ll use that to our advantage, whether that’s throwing them into a press or in transition. Tannah Jones is another sophomore who can come in and give us some minutes if we need it,” Dorr said.
Park Hill South is coming off an 18-9 campaign where it had a 6-3 Kansas City Suburban Conference record before switching to the Silver Division this season. The Lady Panthers will be in a tough Class 6 District 8 Tournament when the regular season closes.