Marshfield’s Luebbert is the News-Leader’s Player of the Year
Lauren Luebbert entered her high school basketball career with the Lady Jays with one goal: Add another banner to the many that hung on the Marshfield gymnasium walls.
Joining one of the state’s proudest programs, Luebbert wanted her and her teammates’ names to hang next to the legends from the 1980s and ’90s. What girls basketball player in southwest Missouri wouldn’t want her name to hang next to Melody Howard’s?
After four years of hard work and determination, Luebbert helped get the team back in the state semifinals for the first time in a decade. Along the way, Luebbert made her name known as one of the region’s best.
In 2023-24, Luebbert took her game to another level and rose to the occasion in her team’s biggest moments. That’s why we’re proud to name Luebbert
as the News-Leader’s 2023-24 girls high school basketball player of the year.
Luebbert earned the honor after leading Marshfield to a third-place finish in the Class 5 state playoffs. It was Marshfield’s 13th appearance in a state semifinal, tied for the fifth-most in Missouri history.
She was the best player on one of the area’s best teams. Luebbert averaged 15 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. She scored a game-high 17 points in Marshfield’s third-place victory over Smithville to cap off her career. The Lady
Jays wouldn’t have been in the position if Luebbert hadn’t taken over in a quarterfinal game she was held scoreless in the first half before grabbing 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Luebbert earned two all-state recognitions, three Big 8 East Player of the Year awards, three all-district selections and a pair of News-Leader Dominant Dozen honors throughout her career.
Being named the News-Leader’s Player of the Year is no small accomplishment considering the talent in the area. Luebbert edged out Kickapoo’s Mikayla Pilley and Kya Johnson along with Skyline’s Ashlen Garrett and Strafford’s Elsie Larsen for the honor.
Luebbert set out with a goal when she first wore the Marshfield royal blue and accomplished it. The Lady Jays expect deep postseason runs and she helped make it happen.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield NewsLeader. You can contact him at 417-3716987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.