Harrisburg standout Lorelai Hunziker signed her national letter of intent to play basketball at Columbia College next season. The senior scoring leader made it official during a signing ceremony among family, teammates, and coaches on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Hunziker said she chose Columbia College because of her familiarity with the program and head coach Matt Moore, who she has worked with over the years through her travel ball team, Missouri Phenom.

Moore was named head coach of the Lady Cougars in 2024 after serving as assistant coach for three seasons. In his first year as head coach, CC won 18 straight games, finishing with a 28-4 overall record, a 19-3 mark in the American Midwest Conference, and a fourth-consecutive conference tournament title. The Cougars are currently 22-1 overall and 13-0 in the conference so far this season with an 11-game winning streak.

“I loved the environment, and it just felt like such a good fit for me,” Hunziker said about signing with Columbia College. “I really liked the girls when I met them. I’ve known Matt for a long time, just because of Phenom and coaching, and I love his coaching style.”

Hunziker is currently leading Harrisburg in points per game (19.1), rebounds (6.3), deflections (4.5), and is second on the team in steals (2.5). It’s her second season at Harrisburg after two standout seasons at Osage her freshman and sophomore years.

“I love the environment, and I love my team,” she said about her two years in Harrisburg. “We’ve all grown really close together. These last years have been really, really special to me, and I’m really excited that I’ve found my fit. I think Harrisburg has really felt like home.”

Career highlights so far include winning the Glasgow and Harrisburg tournaments this season and surpassing 1,000 career points on the same night that fellow senior and Drury commit Audrey Arnold reached the milestone.

“Hitting my 1,000 points was really big, and I loved sharing that with Audrey in the same game. That was so cool,” she said.

For Harrisburg coach Jaryt Hunziker, the signing was extra special because the senior he’s sending off to play college ball is his daughter. “I can’t thank her enough for the last four years and what she’s done, not just for Harrisburg, but the two years she was at Osage. What she did for that program, and with what she and her teammates are doing here at Harrisburg, is it’s been fun to be a part of.”

Hunziker has coached some of the top talent in the area over the years and won a state title at Boonville. He said Lorelai ranks high on his list of great players he’s coached.

“Sometimes you just sit back, and you’re kind of in awe of some of the performances where she just does multiple things,” he said. “She has the ability to score inside and outside, and then defensively get steals and rebounds. She leads us in the majority of stat categories. As a coach, it’s awesome to have somebody like that playing for you. But sometimes, as a dad, you sit back and smile watching her do her thing. It’s a proud dad moment. I’m glad she’s taking the step to continue her career, just so I can watch her, but do it without being her coach. I can do it as a spectator, as a parent. That’s cool.”

Coach Moore said recruiting Hunziker was an easy decision. He’s been a part of her developing career over the years and said she will fit right into the Cougars’ lineup. “I’ve worked with her in the summer and with her dad. The growth she’s had in the past few years, and just her willingness to absorb things and learn, and a great family and a great basketball mind for her, was just a no-brainer for us. We’ve seen her a lot in the summers, and just having her at the gym a lot was just great. And it’s always nice to have somebody that can fold right in.”

Hunziker said she’s familiar with some of the girls on the team as well as with Coach Moore, and that helps with taking the step into the next level. “I know some of the plays, and I’m really familiar with the style. Definitely, when I visited, I saw them practicing, and it just looked like such a positive environment and something that I wanted to be a part of.”

When not on the basketball court, Hunziker said she plans to pursue a degree in nursing.

The Bulldogs are 16-5 overall so far this season, having won seven out of their last nine games heading into the final stretch. Two nights after she signed her college commitment, Hunziker turned in another prime performance, scoring 31 points, her second-highest scoring total of the season after posting 32 against Moberly on Jan. 9.

Harrisburg hosted Russellville in a Central State 8 game Tuesday night after the Advertiser went to press for the first of the five games over eight days to close out the regular season. The Class 2 District 7 Tournament opens on Feb. 23 in Glasgow.