Fort Zumwalt South Ready for Postseason Run

One of the challenges a varsity basketball team and coaching staff is to make sure the team peaks at the dawn of the post-season.

Coach Mike Schneider and the Lady Bulldog basketball team rose to that challenge this year. The Lady Bulldogs won the Class 5, District 8 Tournament at with a 34-29 on Feb. 24.

The District championship is the third for South’s girls basketball program, as the Lady  Bulldogs won back to back district championships in 2005 and 2006.  FZS has compiled a 21-5 overall record.

“We’re thrilled with this,” Schneider said. “This was a goal of ours since the start of the season. We came together at the right time.”

The Lady Bulldogs will play Fort Zumwalt West in the Maryville University Sectional on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.  

“They’re a major opponent of ours,” Schneider said. “They’re a girl’s basketball powerhouse and they’ve had deeper playoff runs than we have. This is not just a sectional basketball game for us. It’s a chance for this team to build respect. We’re really going to have to execute on the offensive end of the floor. We need to get on the board as soon as possible.”

Senior Julie Hzlinak lead’s South’s offense, as she averages 17.5 points per game. Hzlinak is also the Lady Bulldogs all-time leading scorer. Schneider said the senior is “important to the team’s success” and “is the go-to player offensively.”

“Julie is the type of girl who can make it happen on a pass or on a dribble,” he said. “She has a great three-point shot and she’s a good rebounder too. Julie averages 10.7 rebounds per game.”

Senior point guard Shannon McKenzie, sophomore guard Allie Riggs, junior forward Alyssa Meador, and sophomore center Claire Johnson rounds out South’s starting lineup. McKenzie averages 15.4 points per game. She’s nailed 56 treys this season, which makes the second best perimeter shooter on the team, as Hzlinak has 59.

Schneider calls Hzlinak and Medor the team’s “one/two punch.” He also said that Johnson had provided “a credible post-presence” and that Riggs has proven to be a credible outside shooter; the sophomore has 16 threes this season.  Coach Schneider calls Meador “a workhorse” who “is tough on defense and rebounding.”

The Lady Bulldogs shared the GAC North conference championship with St. Charles this year. They finished the year with a 7-1 record in conference. Schneider said a Dec. 14 conference loss (47-41) to Washington proved to be a key moment in the season.

“It didn’t think our schedule was a schedule that would prepare us for the post-season,” he said. “But after the loss to Washington, it seemed like every game mattered.”

After the loss to Washington the Lady Bulldogs won the next six conference contests to claim the GAC North title. Schneider said the conference success helped South “gain confidence for the post-season.”