Audrie Meyerkoth, a freshman Rock Port Lady Blue Jay, was named the KMAland Missouri Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
By KMAland Trevor Maeder
The Rock Port girls basketball team made a postseason run 44 years in the making this winter while freshman Audrie Meyerkorth put her name on the map. Meyerkorth wowed throughout the Lady Blue Jays’ dream season with one stellar performance after another. And for that, Meyerkorth is the KMAland Missouri Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She is the first Lady Blue Jay to earn this honor.
“It was an incredible first year as a freshman,” Meyerkorth said. “To be part of it was such a blessing.” Meyerkorth’s brilliance led the Lady Blue Jays to a 26-6 record and their first state semifinal appearance since 1981. “It was our work ethic,” she said. “We all worked hard, did the best we could, we motivated and worked for each other.”
Meyerkorth hit the ground running this year. She averaged 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 41.0% and burying 31% of her 3-pointers. “We all worked together well,” she said. “That showed on the court. We had the mindset that we wanted to go far, so we did the best we could. I was confident in myself and my shot.”
Meyerkorth admits she might have exceeded her own expectations. “I wasn’t expecting anything,” she said. “I was just hoping to do the best I could do. I think I did exceed the expectations I had for myself. I put a lot of pressure on myself, which brings nerves with it. I had people there for me, which was awesome.”
Meyerkorth had a knack for stepping up in the postseason. She put in 19 of Rock Port’s 34 points in a district final win over Platte Valley, followed by a 30-point outing in their state sectional win over North Andrew.
The freshman saved her best performance for Rock Port’s thrilling double-overtime quarter-final win over Santa Fe as she recorded 43. Meyerkorth then posted showings of 25 and 19 points in Rock Port’s semifinal loss to Northeast and third-place defeat to Walnut Grove. The freshman averaged 26.1 points per game across Rock Port’s six postseason games.
“When I think of a big game, I don’t back away,” she said. “I hope to surprise people and prove them wrong.
Meyerkorth won’t have to prove herself next year, but she’s hoping to only go up from here. “We’ll continue to work hard and have the mindset of getting there again,” she said.
Meyerkorth had the chance to share her freshman season with her sisters, Avery and Ella. Avery was a senior, while Ella was in her junior year. “It was great,” she said. “It was such a fun experience for me to be on the court with the two girls I love.”
