Kewpies boosted by bench

Senior Kristin Conrad doesn’t see much meaningful playing time for the No. 2 Hickman girls basketball team.

With stars such as junior Yvonne Anderson, senior Lauren Nolke and sophomore Chasity Prince, Conrad has a difficult time cracking the starting lineup and making an obvious difference in games.

And that’s just fine with her.

“It doesn’t take five people,” Conrad said. “Even the people that don’t get to play, they have a huge role, too.”

Conrad’s lack of playing time says little about her physical talent. She’s a 5-foot-7 guard with a quick jump shot and a knack for disrupting passes. Instead, her absence from the court speaks volumes about the Kewpies’ depth and athleticism.

“(The depth) is there,” Hickman coach Tonya Mirts said. “Kristin is a good shooter. I try to use her in replacement of Chasity (Prince) and (Lauren) Nolke.”

When Conrad gets the chance to play, her minutes come in the second half of Hickman blowouts.

This was the case in Wednesday night in Hickman’s 76-30 Class 5 sectional victory over Wentzville Holt (13-13). Hickman (27-1) advances to play Nixa (22-8) in the state quarterfinals Saturday in Sedalia.

Many bench players have a tendency to be tentative and passive once they enter the game while they get acclimated to the speed of play. Conrad, however, avoids this problem.

“I’m always in the game,” Conrad said. “I have a big role of talking for everyone on the floor. I’m not getting cold. I’m always jumping up and down in the games.”

“She’s going to shoot,” Mirts said, smiling. “One way or another, she’s going to get into the statistical column.”

While Conrad might miss some shots and fumble a few passes, she knows her minutes are few and far between, and she won’t let her failures stop her from firing a 3-pointer or diving for a loose ball. The Kewpies’ game against Helias on Feb. 21 in the first round of the Class 5, District 10 tournament showed what Conrad can bring to the court. She came off the bench once the game was in Hickman’s control and scored six quick points to put emphasis on the Kewpies’ victory.

When it isn’t Conrad adding points and energy off the bench, someone else always steps up. Junior Miriam Tesfamikael had four steals in the first half Wednesday to spur the rout. Senior Ciara Tatum had two 3-pointers in the first half to help the Hickman starters return to the bench for some rest. And sophomore Nicole Schulz, who moved up from JV for the state tournament push, hit two late 3-pointers in her first extended minutes for the varsity squad.

While Mirts says she enjoys getting her bench players more minutes, she still must find time for her starters to play, even in blowouts.

“I don’t think our starters played a whole lot of minutes tonight,” Mirts said. “We kinda have seven players that we rotate around, and when you’re only playing two games a week, that (playing time) is what maintains their conditioning.”

However, Mirts said that it’s nice to get her starters some rest.

“It’s big. I thought our bench players played a lot of minutes tonight,” Mirts said. “It’s a great opportunity for them.”