After winning their third straight state championship, the Alva High School Ladybugs hope to make another post season run as the 2016-2017 season winds down. Head coach Dusty Horn enters his second season at the helm, finishing the previous season with a record of 24-6.

Though the Ladybugs have had some noticeable struggles to tip off their new season, Alva has made improvements and has a current record of 7-3, putting them at No. 6 in Class 3A girls' basketball.

The Alva Ladybugs said goodbye to a big contributor from last season, as their floor general Jaden Hobbs graduated to continue her basketball career at Oklahoma State University as a Cowgirl under the coaching of Jim Littell. Unfortunately, Hobbs' first season came to a premature end as she suffered a torn ACL; she is going through a recovery to get ready for the next season.

Despite that loss, Alva returns their second team-high scorer and senior, Whitney Randall. Once the go-to passing option, Randall has had to take the ball in her hands on numerous occasions to create opportunities for herself. After ending the previous season with 12.9 points per game, Randall has moved to the top scorer for the Ladybugs with 17.6 PPG while hitting 50.6 percent of her shots to go with her 3.4 rebounds.

A big contributor and threat inside the paint, Lexie Shafer is another returning starter for Alva. Shafer has shown more aggression this year in the paint, improving her 5.7 points per game from last year to 6.6 along with 4.6 rebounds. Those rebounds have been a big factor for not just the Ladybugs' defense but their offense as well. With her 6-foot-3 size and strength underneath the basket, Shafer is able to crash the boards or get the tip to keep Alva's offense alive for an extra possession.

Ally Riley and Cathy Mapes also rejoin the starting lineup for the Ladybugs with Riley adding another threat from beyond the arc. Though Riley's accuracy from three-point range has dropped, on several occasions Riley has hit the needed trey to propel the Ladybugs against their opponents. Recently Riley had suffered an injury that took her out for a couple of games, but she has rejoined the lineup to continue to contribute in the point production.

As for Mapes, while she may not be go-to for scoring she has become more aggressive in attacking the basket to score a needed layup or draw the foul. That has helped spread the field more for the Ladybugs, but Mapes' strength is her defense, which has helped create turnovers especially when Alva turns to their full court pressure.

The fourth high scorer for the Ladybugs is junior Tatum Rouse, another asset beyond the arc. Coupled with her quickness, Rouse has contributed both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Senior Jordan Shiever has also been a huge contributor inside the paint for the Ladybugs. Unfortunately, Shiever has been sidelined due to injuries, forcing Shafer to put in more minutes than normal. Luckily, Alva is able to rely on Mattie Duncan to give Shafer a rest. While not a scorer first, Duncan's quickness allows her to be a huge help on defense.

Perhaps a big surprise joining the starting lineup is freshman newcomer Payton Jones. After Jones' 18-point performance against the Tonkawa Lady Buccaneers earlier in the season, Jones was quickly moved to the starting lineup and has been the second team-high scorer for Alva. Contributing 9.8 points per game and 4.2 rebounds, Jones has become a young hopeful for the Ladybug team.

Other contributors off the bench for the Ladybugs are Stephanie Spellman, Camryn Wren, Hallie Durkee and Allison Seevers.

Alva still has a long road ahead of them as they continue their season at the NOC Tournament in Tonkawa on Jan. 19-21. The Ladybugs will end their season against the Woodward Lady Boomers on Feb. 14 at home before starting post season on Feb. 18.

2016-2017 Ladybugs Basketball Roster

No. Name Cl.

1 JoAnn Turner So.

3 Tatum Rouse Jr.

5 Camryn Wren Jr.

10 Hallie Durkee So.

11 Payton Jones Fr.

12 RayRay Bell Jr.

12 Laney Stewart Fr.

13 Julie Owen Jr.

14 Aspen Warren Fr.

15 Bianca Ruiz Jr.

20 Jordan Shiever Sr.

21 Karson Henke So.

22 Cathy Mapes Sr.

24 Stephanie Spellman So.

24 Mia Walker Fr.

30 Whitney Randall Sr.

31 Justine Meyer Fr.

32 Allison Seevers Sr.

34 Ally Riley Sr.

35 Acacia Charles Fr.

42 Lexie Shafer Sr.

33 Mattie Duncan Sr.

Caitlin Hofen So.

Head coach: Dusty Horn

Assistant coach: Baylei Zehr

Managers: Cassie Drew, Daresa Moser and Emily Swenn

Filmer: Shannon Nesseralla

Remaining 2017 Basketball Schedule

Date Opponent Home/Away Time

Jan. 19-21 NOC Tournament Tonkawa TBA

Jan. 27 Chisholm Away 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 30 Woodward Away 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 3 Frontier Away 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 7 Fairview Home 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 10 Ponca City Away 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 14 Woodward Home 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 18-19 Districts TBA TBA

Feb. 23-25 Regionals TBA TBA

March 2-4 Area TBA TBA

March 9-11 State TBA TBA

*Home games in bold.