SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Drury Lady Panthers head coach Molly Miller announced the signing of two players for the 2020-21 season. Katie Scott, a forward from Carl Junction, and guard Haley Meely out of Jenks, Oklahoma, will join the Lady Panthers next season.
 
Katie Scott is one of southwest Missouri's top performers. As a junior at Carl Junction last season, she was a 1^st Team All-Class 4 selection for the second straight season, was named the Player of the Year in her region by the Four States Basketball Coaches Association, was the Basketball Athlete of the Year by the Joplin Globe, and was named Player of the Year in her district. Scott averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, three assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-2 forward has played in two state Final Fours in Class 4 while going a combined 71-18 having played on the varsity squad since her freshman year. She will be entering her senior season at Carl Junction this winter.
 
Academically, Scott is a National Merit Commended student, carries a 4.0-grade point, ranks at the top of her graduating class and is a National Honor Society inductee.
 
"To add the skill set Katie has at 6'2 is going to take our post play to a new level," said Miller. "She can do multiple things from scoring with her back to the basket, to penetrating from the outside, to hitting the three. She really is going to be a huge threat out on the floor with the offensive tools she possesses. What I love about Katie is her high level of basketball skill and IQ is matched by her academic standards and high character. She is going to be the perfect fit and addition to our Drury culture!"
 
Haley Meely is entering her senior year at Jenks High School in Oklahoma and has been named an all-conference performer in the Frontier Valley Conference for three seasons in a row. She was the league's Newcomer of the Year following her freshman season in 2017 and was an honorable mention All-State selection the following year as a sophomore. Meely averaged 13.4 points, 5.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a junior last year and was an honorable mention All-Tulsa World honoree for the second time in her high school career.
 
"Haley is a true point guard in every sense of the word," noted Miller. "Her ability to create, see the floor, and get her teammates involved is something we will need after the graduation of Daejah Bernard. She does a good job of breaking down the defense as well as hitting open shots. She comes from a very competitive high school with a rich tradition, which will help her transition to college. We can't wait to welcome this point guard to the Drury family!"
 
The Lady Panthers are the number one ranked team in NCAA-II women's basketball and enter the weekend with a 4-0 record. They return to action on Nov. 29 against 11th ranked Central Missouri at 5:30 pm at the O'Reilly Family Event Center. Admission is free to that game as part of the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center Thanksgiving Classic.
 
 
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