CHERRY TWP — Moniteau girls basketball has called home one of its own.

Dee Arblaster, a 1984 Moniteau graduate and former head coach of the Warriors’ girls basketball team for eight seasons, was approved by the school board Monday night to return to that post.

Moniteau athletic director John Stoughton said the board received more than 10 applications for the position after the resignation of Matt Stebbins Nov. 12.

Stebbins compiled a 42-28 record and coached the Warriors to the District 9 playoffs in each of his three seasons.

“Luckily, we were able to find a more than capable replacement,” said Stoughton. “She (Arblaster) had success here during her first run as coach. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience.”

Arblaster first met with success at Moniteau as a player. She was a forward on back-to-back District 9 Class AA title teams in 1982-83 and 1983-84. She graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,157 points and is now second behind Alyssa Deal.

She became head coach at her alma mater in 1993, taking over a program that had won just two games the year before. But the Warriors made steady improvement. A 15-10 campaign earned Arblaster the Butler Eagle Girls Coach of the Year Award following the 1999-2000 season. The next year, she guided Moniteau to the District 9 Class AA title.

“After that season, I stepped down to start a family,” she said. “I never thought I’d coach again, but the program has a good group of girls and the time was right for me to come back.”

The Warriors return a trio of juniors — Kristina DeMatteis, Alazia Greaves and Sara Hull — who combined to average nearly 25 points per game on last year’s 15-9 squad.

With the start of the season just 10 days away, Arblaster isn’t planning on rocking the boat too much.

“We aren’t going to change much,” she said. “We’ll take a little away here and add a bit there. I met with the team after the board meeting Monday and the players seem excited. They have a good attitude and that’s going to help.

“I want to continue the tradition that is Moniteau basketball, but I told the girls that they are students first and athletes second.”

Note: Zoe McDowell was also approved by the school board as the boys and girls cross country coach for next season.