Wagoner came out of nowhere last year and shocked the state in reaching the Class 4A state tournament.

The element of surprise won’t be a luxury this season, and coach Jade Allison knows this.

“We proved a lot last year, and we have a lot more to prove just because some people think it was a one-time deal,” she said. “Being in the top 10 is good for my girls (No. 6 by Coachesaid.com), but preseason rankings don’t mean much. It’s how you end up in the second week of March.”

Janae McJunkins, a 5-foot-6 senior, returns after leading the Lady Bulldogs to a 20-10 record and being chosen to the All-Phoenix Team. She averaged 17.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 4.3 steals per game last season.

She said her team isn’t worried about the pressures going into this season.

“We know what to expect,” McJunkins said. “People are going to come harder on us. We know to maintain that. We’ve been through it. Last year, we rushed. We’ve been working on the pressure in practice and on other things to be a better team this year.”

Allison said McJunkins kept quite busy in the off-season.

“She worked on her jump shot and her outside shooting really came along,” the Wagoner coach said. “As much as we count on Janae for scoring, she’s also 10 times better on defense. I would be hard-pressed to find a guard that moves on the court as quickly as she does.”

McJunkins won’t be alone. Meagan Love (5 ppg) and Jennifer Monk (6 ppg) are also back. Callie Jones also returns.

But the Lady Bulldogs may have a surprise up their sleeve. Laura Reel will be on the roster. A 6-2 junior, Reel played in only one game last year.

“She got in some trouble at school that really wasn’t her fault,” Allison said. “She couldn’t finish out the year. She’s learned from it. Laura’s a big country girl. She’s a good kid.”

Still, Allison is talking about her team playing at a “new level” this season. It’s going to have to do so.

“People are looking at us this year,” she said. “We have to raise what we do. We’ll also have to adjust in practice. As soon as we start playing (on Dec. 1 at home against Locust Grove), we’ll have to raise our competitive level.”