Frank Newell
Sports Writer for the Hiawatha World
The Lady Redhawks traveled to Winchester this past Monday evening. They participated in Jefferson County North Basketball’s Jamboree Night. Hiawatha’s Lady Red Hawks were joined by the Doniphan West Lady Mustangs, the Royal Valley Lady Panthers and the Jefferson County North Lady Chargers.
The Jamboree was an officiated scrimmage. Each team played one another for two quarters in a round robin format. The Lady Red Hawks competed well on both sides of the ball. They displayed great athleticism and grit. You could sense the excitement in the players. They are well aware that the regular season is just around the corner. Not only were the players excited, new head coach Stacy Jasper could hardly hold back her enthusiasm.
Stacy Jasper is a familiar face to USD 415. Stacy and her husband Brady moved to Hiawatha in 2014. She began coaching the Lady Red Hawks with Brady in 2015. They worked together in this capacity until last year.
Stacy steps in as the Lady Red Hawks head coach, with an impressive basketball player and coaching resume. After finishing up her collegiate basketball career at Barton County/Bethany College, she became the Graduate Assistant Coach at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. She was at Pittsburg State for one season. This was the 2004-2005 academic year. After a little break, she resumed collegiate coaching at Colby Community College. She was at Colby for two seasons. These were the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. She was Brady’s assistant in Colby, as he was the Head Coach there. This season will be her first as a Head Coach. She has carried the title of Assistant Basketball Coach for 13 seasons.
Coach Jasper has been part of some recent success and hopes to enjoy it again in the near future. In 2022, she helped lead a Lady Red Hawks team that finished 18-4. This team made it to the second round of Sub-State. The 2024-2025 Lady Red Hawks will return four starters and seven letterwinners. The team will look to carry over momentum from the end of last year. They won five of their last six games and advanced to the second round of Sub-State.
Coach Jasper will look to underclassmen Laura Lierz, Kenzie Nelson, Kylie Nelson, Claire Twombly and Adison Williams to take big steps for this year’s team. These players contributed to past success and provided valuable depth. Coach Jasper will count on Seniors Dani Morton and Alija Contreras to provide leadership. Both are quick, tenacious and will bring lots of energy to the front court.
When asked what we can expect on offense and defense from the Lady Red Hawks, coach Jasper said, “Expect an athletic extended zone defense, with some occasional man to man coverage. On offense, we have to shoot well from the outside to allow success with some of our quick hitter sets.”
As a result of the consolidation of the Big 7 and the Mid-East League, Hiawatha will be competing in the new Big East League. This will provide some of the best competition in the state. The Lady Red Hawks will tip off the new season at home, Friday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. in the Roundhouse.
