The Fayette Lady Falcons took a major step forward last season under first-year head coach Daryl Betts. And while they came up one game short of a winning record, they finished even at 13-13 overall and with a hunger for more.

This year, Fayette returns most of its top players, and adds junior transfers Oakleigh Hill and KeBrea Fair and freshman sharpshooter Addison Gibbs. The team is built not just to be good but also to become an area powerhouse.

Last year’s even record was the second .500 finish in a string of losing seasons dating back to 2013. The last winning record was in 2012 when the team finished 14-12 overall.

But posting a winning record is only the most basic goal for Betts and the Falcons this season. The team has set its sights on winning the Lewis & Clark Conference crown and a district title. This season marks the last for Fayette in the L&C, and Betts said he wants his team to go out on top. And he might just have the team to do it.

“This year, we return eight full-time starters,” Betts said.

Some of those returners were starters for other teams. Oakleigh Hill comes to Fayette after averaging 14.56 points as a sophomore for Class 5 Camdenton last season.

“She’s a high-volume 3-point shooter,” Betts said. “She has a lot of ability off the dribble. And she’s just a really good teammate.”

Another transfer is junior KeBrea Fair, who brings her talent and size to Fayette after playing her first two high school years at nearby rival New Franklin.

“We have KeBrea now to be that inside presence,” Betts said. “She really brings that strength. These transfers are legitimate.”

Key returners from the 2022 Lady Falcons include seniors Kay Sullivan at post and guards Addison Powell and Maddox Wells. And juniors Skylar Sunderland and Lasaydra Jackman are expected to contribute big minutes this year. Sophomore Browyn Eubanks is one of the fastest and most athletic girls in mid-Missouri. She will return to the starting lineup after emerging as a freshman starter last season.

The Falcons also add a major outside shooting threat. After dominating the junior high ranks from 3-point distance, Addison Gibbs is expected to be the team’s starting point guard as a freshman. 

“She’s a gym rat,” Betts beamed. “She is what dedication looks like.”

Hill, Fair, and Gibbs will start alongside Falcon veterans Eubanks and Sullivan. With former starters Addison Powell, Maddox Wells, Skylar Sunderland, Lasaydra Jackman, and Leah Thies—all with significant varsity experience—waiting in the wings, Fayette has an extremely deep bench. Freshman Paige Vroman will also dress out for varsity.

“We’re just so deep,” Betts said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Fayette averaged 46.1 points per game last season. With this lineup, Betts expects his team to average somewhere in the mid-60s. And instead of allowing 48 points a game, this year’s team wants to hold opponents to the 30s and 40s.

“We want to control possessions and force turnovers,” Betts said. “It’s going to be a lot of the same, but with a cast that’s already done it and adding some offensive talent.”

Just as the pieces begin to fall into place, Betts and company will showcase their talent on the biggest stage in Mid-Missouri. The Lady Falcons were invited to play in the Norm Stewart Basketball Classic in Mizzou Arena. They tipoff against Helias at 10 a.m. on Dec. 8 in Mizzou Arena. The Class 5 behemoth finished 21-7 a year ago, concluding with a two-point loss to 2022 state-quarter finalist Jefferson City in the district championship.

“It will be a great test for us. Every possession is big,” Betts said.

Fayette had its first taste of victory on Monday with a decisive win at Pilot Grove 67-49 The Lady Tigers posted a record of 23-6 last season. One of those six losses came at the hands of Fayette with a one-point decision in the opening round of the New Franklin Tournament.

Fayette had to play the game without its head coach on the sidelines. Betts is paying the penalty for earning two technical fouls in an emotional district loss to Westran in the final game of the 2022-23 season.

Fayette was instead guided by assistant coach Danni Nichols, who has quite a pedigree on the basketball court. A high school standout at Hickman, she went on to score 1,475 points as an DI player at Western Illinois and West Virginia.

“Danni and the girls did a wonderful job, for a first game versus a team like Pilot Grove,” Betts said Monday after the game.

Fayette finished with four players in double figures, led by Hill’s team-high 20 points with three 3-pointers. Sullivan scored 12 points in her senior debut. Fair finished with 10 points in her first game as a Falcon. Jackman added 10 points off the bench. Sophomore Browyn Eubanks finished with seven points, all scored in the second half.

All 11 players saw action in Monday’s opener, with eight making marks in the score book.

Fayette really kicks off the season at the Glasgow Tournament next week. Fayette is seeded third and will take on local rival New Franklin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28. A win would advance the Falcons to the semifinals, likely against Marceline, a team to which they lost in this tournament a year ago. A second-round win would probably pit the Falcons against defending champion Cairo.

Betts said he is happy about the seedings because it puts his team on the other side of the bracket from top-seeded Cairo, making Fayette’s path to the title game more likely. “We would be happy to play [Cairo] in any round. But it will be nice to just battle through and get and get to that 7:30 Saturday game,” he said.

Fayette opens a three-game road trip on December 5 at New Franklin. The Lady Falcons don’t step foot on their own floor until the Dec. 14 home opener against Slater.

“Our girls are looking to continue to build a culture of intense, hard-nosed basketball,” Betts said. “We’re going to hustle the other team. We’re going to guard the other team. And now this year, our play has evolved. We’re going to be able to outscore other teams. It’s going to be a lot of fun for people to come out and watch these games.

“We have the makeup to be a team that can play late in February and early March. The difference between us and the teams playing at Mizzou Arena at the end of the season, will be if we can build a standard of excellence in our program. We have to take the little things seriously and focus. We have the girls who can do it, but our season’s success will focus on the small things. Winning games now will be fun, but learning how to play and correct mistakes will make us more mature and ready for February. I am looking forward to us developing this standard of excellence this season and the foreseeable future.”