Ash Grove standout Lathrop commits to play D-1 ball next year

Ash Grove basketballer Bristol Lathrop has committed to play for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a Division 1 school just north of St. Louis. In the meantime, she still has her farewell season for the Lady Pirates, one she will have to complete without co-star and Drury University commit, Millison Sapp.

Sapp has reportedly sustained an ACL tear, leaving Lathrop without her playmaking skills for the upcoming season.

Last year, Lathrop and the Pirates succeeded in winning a district championship and made their way to sectionals. Averaging 18.4 points per game and 8.4 rebounds while standing over six feet tall with guard-like skills and fluidity, Lathrop was rightfully recognized by college coaches.

She committed to SIU Edwardsville in June of this year and will look to fill out the post on the team. Lathrop sees herself as more than that, however.

“I’m able to stretch wherever you need on the floor,” she said. “And I think, for my height, my shooting ability and outside range is pretty good.”

She moved to the Ash Grove School District her freshman year and has been a force to be reckoned with for the school since then, but her history with the sport began long before that. Lathrop has been playing her entire life, participating in club and travel ball before she was in high school.

College programs began to notice early on, and SIU Edwardsville was one of the first. She took a fast liking to the program and to the university itself.

“It kind of made me feel like they trusted me and it gave me a lot more time to be able to communicate with the staff and watch the girls and see the program,” said Lathrop.

With the university making their impression so early, Lathrop made up her mind quickly about where she wanted to go, but it's also close enough to home for her to be comfortable.

“I think I kind of just had the conversations with the coaches [and] I had a great idea of where I was going to go from the beginning,” said Lathrop. “I didn’t want to go too far, so that kind of helped me narrow down my choices pretty easily.”

SIU Edwardsville is a Division 1 NCAA program within the Ohio Valley Conference. They frequently play against Lindenwood and Southeast Missouri. The last time an Ash Grove girls basketball player committed to play for a Division 1 school was Khloe Moad, who played at Missouri State University after she graduated from Ash Grove in 2022.

Sapp out for season

Before Lathrop goes to college, however, she still has one more season to try and bring Ash Grove all the way. This year she will have to do so without her all-state teammate, Millison Sapp.

Sapp, the Lady Pirates’ point guard handles much of the playmaking responsibility for the team. On top of ball distribution, though, Sapp is an offensive force in her own right, averaging 17.5 points per game on top of her 3 assists per game last year.

“It’s going to be really difficult with our point guard being out for the season,” said Lathrop. “It’s [been] a really big shot to our team.”

Lathrop expects to be tasked with filling in the gaps left by her injured teammate, but she thinks she’s up for the challenge.

“I might need to bring the ball down the floor, I might need to see a passing lane better, I might need to work on my stretch defense,” she said.

Last year, Lathrop and the Lady Pirates set their sights on the district championship and brought it home, eventually losing in sectionals. This year though, with a new coaching staff and some new teammates, Lathrop expects big things even with Sapp gone.

“I think we have the pieces this year to fill in those holes and just make everything possible,” she said.

The Lady Pirates will begin their season on Nov. 20 at Spokane.