The Higbee boys have unfinished business from last year. Or so says head coach Tanner Burton, whose Tigers finished 26-3 a year ago with a CLAA Conference Title. But despite finishing with one of the best records in Missouri Class 1 basketball, twice losing to Wellsville-Middleton,  the second time of which came in the Class 1 District 10 title match, left an itch the Tigers feel they have to scratch.

“Our season ended and we had injuries and illness keeping us from seeing how much potential last year’s team had,” Burton said. “This year I will work better on load management and ensuring I am working to keep my players healthy for when it matters.”

Two of Higbee’s three losses last year came at the hands of Wellsville-Middleton. The first came in the championship game of the Keytesville Tournament. The second was for the district title.

Burton said that last year’s ending motivated his players to push themselves over the summer. Higbee beat every Class 1 team it faced, along with schools in Classes 2,3, and 4, and played within 15 points of a Class 5 school.

“Summers may not matter, but playing bigger, faster, more physical teams should pay off for us during the season,” Burton said.

A key question on the minds of Tiger fans this year centers on how good Higbee can be without its leading scorer from last year. Higbee averaged 73.8 points a game last season, led by sophomore Jordan Fuemmeler with 25.4.

Fuemmeler, who passed 1,000-point scorer as a sophomore, announced over the summer that he would transfer to Glasgow, where he already lives. He played at Higbee because his parents were both employed by the Higbee school district. But now he will suit up as a Yellowjacket for his junior season.

However, Higbee benefitted from not just one scoring phenom a year ago, but two. Derek Rockett averaged 19.5 points per game a year ago while shooting 40% from the floor and 35% from 3-point range. He entered this season 33 points shy of 1,000 for his high school career. Now a junior, he surpassed the milestone by scoring a career-high 37 points in the season opener in front of a home crowd on Tuesday, November 22, when the Tigers routed Bevier 91-39.

Burton expects seniors Chad Crawford, Chevy Grimsley, and junior Will Spillane to start alongside Rockett at the guard positions, with junior Jaxson Hudson starting at forward. 

Spillman saw limited court time a year as he battled illness throughout the season, but did come off the bench for a 30-point game. “We are hopeful that with him healthy, he will have a consistent impact for us,” Burton said of his 6’3 guard.

“We are really versatile,” Burton said. “We have good scoring threats, and that should allow us to stretch out defenses.” Junior Micah Kirby and sophomore Landon Tuggle are also expected to see playing time at the forward positions. The Tigers hope for contributions from sophomore Mason Martin and freshmen Danny Jansen and Colton Crawford, all newcomers to the program.

Burton said he expects to field a fast-paced team again this year. “We saw the flexibility of our team winning games when we scored 80, and when we played a game in the 30s. We can play any style, but we want to push people to the brink of exhaustion every night.”

Defensively, Higbee allowed just 43 points a game last year. Burton said Higbee’s high-pressure defense will be on full display again this year. “We want to play a really solid full-court defense and have a great half-court defense that keeps people off balance.”

Higbee opened the season at home on November 22 with a lopsided 52-point win against Bevier. The Tigers will compete in the Mendon Tournament this week as the No. 2 seed. They opened the tournament against seventh-seeded Bucklin on Monday, winning 80-29. They face either Meadville or Linn County in the semifinals at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday. The winner will play for the tournament title on Saturday.