After having a busy fall that had her participating in both volleyball and cross country, Olivia Shaw didn’t show any signs of slowing down when she joined the Montgomery County girls basketball team in November.

After three months, the MCHS junior has been one of the Wildcats’ top performers on both sides of the court. Going into MCHS’ road game against Mark Twain on Feb. 7, Shaw is leading the team in rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game) and scoring (8.4 points per game).

“I credit all of my teammates,” Shaw said. “I couldn’t do anything without them. As for my rebounding, I just look at it as, ‘Just go get the ball. If you can jump and you can get it, you got it.’”

The strong efforts have helped the Wildcats enjoy another outstanding season. MCHS improved to 17-5 after beating Clopton 48-27 at Ballew & Snell Court on Feb. 2.

“It’s great,” said Shaw, who finished with six points against Clopton. “We’re going out and doing our thing. We’re just rolling at this point. We’re getting better in each game. It’s only going up at this point.”

Shaw has four double-doubles this season. Her best performance came on Dec. 20, when she finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds in the Wildcats’ win over North Callaway. She also finished with 12 rebounds and 15 rebounds in MCHS’ 50-48 loss to Owensville in the championship game of the Hermann Tournament on Jan. 28.

Shaw is picking up right where she left off from last season, when she averaged seven points and eight rebounds per game. She was one of four MCHS players named to the all-Eastern Missouri Conference team. Shaw also helped the Wildcats win 20 games and captured their first district championship since 1998.

“Last year, I was more nervous,” Shaw said. “This year, I’m more comfortable. Last year, I felt like I had something to prove and I think that’s why I performed well last year. Now, I know what I can do and I know I can do better than what I did last year. I felt like I had to step up.”

Last fall, Shaw earned all-conference honors in both volleyball and cross country. She also helped both teams win conference titles.

This winter, Shaw helped her team place second in three tournaments and get off to a 7-0 start in conference play.
“Those second places may feel like setbacks because we’re not getting that first place, but we’re playing hard teams in those first-place games and they’re only making us better,” Shaw said. “When we get those second places, it’s like we played extremely well. But with these conference games, we’re sending a message that us playing these bigger tournaments and bigger teams are helping us. We’re here to play.”

The junior said she’s already excited about the postseason. The Wildcats have three regular games remaining, including a home game against Louisiana on Feb. 9. They will play in the Class 3, District 7 tournament at South Callaway in late February.

“I think we can go far,” Shaw said. “The season is going by so quickly. It’s nerve-racking. It (the postseason) is coming up and it’s going to be here before you know it. I think we can make it farther than last year.”

Also this winter, Shaw is balancing her schedule with basketball and volleyball. She also plays for the High Performance select volleyball team. Shaw said playing select volleyball was a big help to her on the basketball court this winter.

“It shows me that I have to work hard,” Shaw said. “When I’m tired, it makes me work harder. So when I’m not tired, I know how well I can perform.”

Shaw is part of a strong junior class that includes Malia Rodgers and Maddy Queathem, who joined Shaw on the all-conference team last winter.

“They’re my people,” Shaw said. “I think we just have such good chemistry at this point that it’s so helpful on the court. Having a big group is just more beneficial than just having new people each year because we know what each other can do.”