C3 State Semifinal: Fowler's success with Bulldogs isn't surprising to many

The Portageville High School girl’s basketball program will make history on Wednesday when it takes the floor at Mizzou Arena in Columbia at 2 p.m. for the MSHSAA Class 3 State Semifinal against Principia (25-5). However, despite this trip being made by the Bulldogs for the first time in program history, not many people should be surprised if they know veteran coach Kellye Fowler.

“Kellye spends a lot of time working with these girls,” Portageville High School assistant principal and former boy’s basketball coach Jason Irby said earlier this season. “It’s almost year-round.”

That effort has shown through the years, with a breakthrough coming this season.

After advancing to the MSHSAA Class 3 and 2 Quarterfinals each of the past two seasons, respectively, Fowler’s kids won that round in a 53-20 demolition of Steelville on Saturday.

The victory was the 70th by Fowler’s teams over the past three years against just 17 defeats.

“She played the game herself,” Irby continued. “She was a great high school player.”

Fowler has led the Bulldog program for 12 seasons, eight of which her teams have won at least 14 games. In the past three seasons, Portageville has won 23 games twice and will be shooting (literally and figuratively) for win 25 on Wednesday.

“Kellye really knows what she is doing,” Irby said. “She is constantly looking to improve and asking for ideas.”

Fowler graduated from Portageville High in 2008 and played at Three Rivers College before taking over at her alma mater for the 2013-14 season.

That year was a challenge (4-15), but she quickly got the Bulldogs on track and finished 17-8 in her second season.

“There may be a little bit more pressure,” Fowler said earlier in her career of coaching in her hometown, “self-imposed pressure. But there is definitely a lot more pride, as well.”

The Bulldogs (24-4) have won three consecutive District and Sectional titles, as well as three straight Bootheel Conference regular season championships and a pair of league tournament titles.

“I have just always had a heart for the girl’s basketball here,” Fowler explained. “It was always a dream of mine to come back here.”

Principia ended the Portageville season a year ago (50-42), but Fowler said she has been working with this team’s “versatility” this season, which has paid dividends.

“We have talked a lot about just being able to be a little more versatile,” Fowler said earlier this season. “We want to be able to do a few more things (offensively and defensively).

“Both years in the quarterfinals (2023 and 2024) we have run up against a really good man (defensive) team,” Fowler said of Principia and West County. “It was something that we were not used to.

“That is something that we have worked on pretty regularly. Being able to run our man offense and being able to handle that kind of pressure.”

Defensively, Fowler’s team has gone from tremendous to stunning over the past year.

Each of the past two seasons, Portageville has held opponents to 37 points per game, but lowered that number to 35 this season.

Twice in this year’s state tournament, the Bulldogs limited foes to 20 or fewer points (not a typo).

“Kellye puts the girls in the right positions,” Irby said. “She plays a style that fits what we have.”

In the other C3 semifinal, two-time defending state champion Fair Grove (26-4) will face Lone Jack (25-3) at 4 p.m.

The championship game will be played on Thursday at 6 p.m. with the third-place game on Thursday at 2 p.m.