Webb City High School’s girls’ varsity basketball team enters the 2025–26 season with momentum and maturity, returning a core that helped spark one of the program’s best years in a decade. The Cardinals, based in Webb City, Missouri, are building an identity around toughness, versatility, and a fast-paced style that reflects the vision of head coach Grant Berendt in his second year at the helm.
Veteran Core and Standouts
The roster is anchored by an experienced junior class led by point guard Abby Sargent and forward Addie Burns, both all-conference performers who drive much of Webb City’s offense. Sargent sets the tempo as a floor general, capable of scoring in bunches while also creating for teammates and is trusted with the ball late in tight games due to her poise and free-throw shooting. Burns provides a difficult matchup as a versatile scorer who can post smaller guards, stretch the floor with perimeter shooting, and defend multiple positions.
Supporting Cast and Depth
Around that duo, the Cardinals feature key contributors such as guard Whitlee Keith, an all-conference sharpshooter who knocked down dozens of threes last season while also impacting games defensively. In the paint, 6-foot-1 post Adalyn Maxwell anchors the interior, altering shots at the rim, rebounding on both ends, and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities, with sisters Jocelyn and Kaelyn Maxwell also factoring into the rotation. Additional guards like Brecklynn Sargent and seniors Bailey Packard and Kylee Sargent add depth, experience, and shooting that allow Webb City to maintain pressure for four quarters.
Style of Play and Outlook
Webb City’s style blends tempo with toughness, using Sargent’s pace and Keith’s perimeter threat to stretch defenses while relying on Burns and Maxwell to control the paint and glass. After a breakthrough 19–9 campaign and an early 1–0 start this season, expectations have risen, with the Cardinals eyeing conference contention and a return to the kind of postseason success the program enjoyed in its “glory years” of frequent Final Four trips and a state title. With a cohesive core, growing confidence, and a clear blueprint under Berendt, Webb City’s girls’ varsity team looks poised to remain a problem for opponents across southwest Missouri all winter long.
