Raise The Curtain
The door keeps revolving.
Standout players such as Emily Hegedus, Lauren Wasylson, Emma Bair and Jenna Kunst are gone.
Standout players such as Sidney Shemanski, Tai Johnson, Kylee Lewandowski and Emma McDermott are back.
Mars is the defending PIAA Class 5A champion. Slippery Rock won the District 10 5A title. Karns City had a string of four successive District 9 titles snapped a year ago.
What does the 2018-19 girls basketball season have in store? Here is a look at Butler County area teams this season:
A-C ValleyCoach: Dave Sherman, 9th seasonLast Year: 21-7There is strength in numbers, but that is one luxury the Falcons may not enjoy this season.A-C Valley will open the season with just six players who Sherman feels comfortable with seeing the varsity floor.Sherman's daughter, Mia, a sophomore swing player, would have been in the mix, but is likely out for the year with a broken foot.“We're not deep, but our top players have a lot of experience,” he said. “We have five freshmen and I am hoping to steal a few varsity minutes from them.”Last year, the Falcons reached the District 9 Class A title game where they lost to North Clarion. Soon after, they made the program's first-ever appearance in the state playoffs.Coach Sherman's belief that this year's team can maintain a high level of play hinges largely on his three seniors — point guard Olivia Boocks, guard/forward Cami McNany and forward Kylee Eaton.Last year, Boocks was at the point before suffering a knee injury halfway through the season. McNany and Eaton combined to average 18.7 points and 12.4 rebounds per contest.All three players made all-conference in some capacity.Sophomores Rachel Cullen and Andrea Meals will start at guard and forward, respectively. Junior guard Emily Wetzel is currently the only viable option off the bench, but Sherman sees the team's chemistry as a plus.“Our seniors will have to carry a lot of the load, but they won't have to do it all,” he said. “They've done a good job of incorporating the others into the gameplan.“We aren't going to sneak up on teams this season, but I think the bullseye on our back can turn into a good thing. The girls know they will have to maintain the intensity.”
ButlerCoach: Mark Maier, 2nd seasonLast Year: 13-10The Golden Tornado will have to replace the scoring punch provided by Jenna Kunst and Alyssa Eyth, a pair of double-digit scorers now playing at Mercyhurst. Last year's point guard, Mia Rader, is now playing lacrosse at Ashland (Ohio).“We averaged about 40 points a game last year and those three accounted for 27 of them,” Maier said. “Our challenge will be replacing that offense.“Our junior varsity only lost one game last year and we've got some good players coming from there.”Returning starters are senior forward Julia Gibson and guard Emilee Altman. Jordan Kauffman, a junior guard/forward, could provide some offense. This year's point guard will be junior Emma Monteleone.Also battling for starting minutes are Heidi Gross, Sydney Hanratty and Hailey Metzger.“A lot of girls are going to see time and it may take us a few games to settle on our lineup and figure out everyone's role,” Maier said.“We'll be doing a lot of rotating players in. There's not a lot of separation right now.”
FreeportCoach: Fred Soilis, 4th seasonLast Year: 13-9Three starters are back for the Yellowjackets, who lost to Elizabeth Forward in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs last year.Gone are Jenna Manke (Allegheny) and Asti Brestensky (Westminster), along with Ashley Sullivan.Sidney Shemanski will handle the point in her junior season. She averaged in double figures last year. Junior guards Samantha and Madeline Clark return as starters as well.“We've got some nice additions this year who will definitely help us offensively,” Soilis said.They include volleyball and softball standout Ally DeJidas, a senior who has joined the basketball team. Harley Holloway, a junior guard, has transferred in from Kiski Area, where she was a double-digit scorer.Haley Graham, a senior forward, will get starting minutes as well.Sophomore guard Grace Soilis, junior guard Louisa Fennell and senior guard Lydia Bouch add depth to the backcourt.“I'm optimistic, but we're in a tough section,” Soilis said. “The first thing we stress here is defense. It doesn't matter how many we score if we can't stop the other team.“I'm confident we'll be competitive.”
Karns CityCoach: Steve Andreassi, 2nd seasonLast Year: 12-11Task No. 1 for the Gremlins: Replace Emily Hegedus.“That's no easy task,” Andreassi declared.Hegedus is KC's all-time scoring leader with 1,735 points and is now playing at Clarion University. Livia Andreassi and Olivia Mourer also graduated from last year's District 9 runner-up team. The Gremlins had won four successive district crowns.“Our scoring will have to come from a number of sources this year,” Andreassi said. “We've got a young group and not a lot of separation in skill level among them.“We're going to be playing a lot of kids. Everybody's working hard, grinding and getting after it. That's the kind of team we're going to be.”Returning starters are senior Alyssa Stitt and junior Emma Clark at guard. Madeleine Staavi, a senior foreign exchange student from Norway, is a forward who will get some minutes.“She's never played basketball before, but she can do a few things that may help us inside,” Andreassi said.Competition is fierce for other starting spots and reserve roles.“It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. The girls will earn their time on the floor,” Andreassi said.
KnochCoach: Chris Andreassi, 3rd seasonLast Year: 11-12All five starters are gone from last season, including Emily Fraser (Slippery ock University) and Casey Kretzer (Butler County Community College). Kayla Grafton and Gabby Fennell have also graduated and Hannah Rowe decided to concentrate on volleyball.“We have some serious competition going on, some good challenges,” Andreassi said.The coach said his five starters will likely come from seven players: forwards Lauren Cihonski and Terann McElravy, point guards Abby Sherer and Madilyn Boyer, guards Skylar Burkett, Nevaeh Ewing and Jaylee Lassinger.“Our entire team worked hard all off-season,” Andreassi enthused. “My attendance sheet for summer workouts was full.“We don't have any seniors, but all of our juniors are showing leadership. This is an athletic group and we'll play a scrappy style. Defense always comes first here.”Andreassi said Cihonski and McElravy can score points inside while Boyer and Ewing can shoot from the perimeter.“Our goal right now is to work hard and get better every day,” he said.
MarsCoach: Dana Petruska, 4th season (2nd stint)Last Year: 24-6, PIAA Class 5A championThe Planets' tall task of defending the first state title in program history recently became even more difficult.Sophomore point guard Alek Johnson will begin the season on the injured list with hopes of returning to the lineup in January.The bad luck serves as another reminder of something Petruska has been stressing to her team.“Last year was last year,” she said. “We haven't talked about goals for this year. When you put high expectations like that out there, you're setting yourself up for failure. I need to let these girls arrive at their own pace.”In Johnson's absence, another sophomore, Ellie Coffield will be running the point. She was a contributor last year off a very short bench.“The biggest thing she is dealing with right now is she just doesn't have much varsity experience at that position,” said Petruska of Coffield. “She played the point a little last season and she's getting better.”The Planets will be helped along by two healthy players who filled major roles in last year's run to the state championship — returning starters Tai Johnson at guard and Bella Pelaia at guard/forward.Johnson caught fire in the state tournament and finished the season with 18.4 points per game. Pelaia posted 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds.Three forwards — senior Regan Kramm and freshmen Ava Black and Kaitlyn Pelaia — are each pushing for a starting role.The graduations of swing player Lauren Wasylson and Nichole Sommers, a strong defender, leave the Planets with big shoes to fill.“Other teams had to worry about Lauren's outside shooting,” said Petruska. “Now those players are going to be in the key defending against Tai or Bella.
MoniteauCoach: Dee Arblaster, 4th seasonLast Year: 12-11Arblaster likes to play an up-tempo brand of basketball.Expect that tempo to be ratcheted up even more this season.“We want to score on fast breaks,” Arblaster said. “We don't want to even set up a half-court offense if we don't have to. We're going to try to be very up-tempo.”That's because the Warriors are a bit undersized now with the loss of Emma Bair to graduation.All the tall and lanky Bair did last season was turn in a monster year in which she scored 16.1 points and grabbed 11.1 rebounds per game to go with a staggering 107 blocked shots.With 6-footer Mia Loos battling an illness and unsure when she will be cleared, Moniteau will be left with a speedy core to build around this season.That starts with 5-10 junior guard Kristin Auvil, who had a huge second half of the season in 2017-18 and finished averaging 10.3 points per game.“She's worked hard and she's taken on a little bit of the leadership role,” Arblaster said of Auvil. “She has a high basketball IQ.”Seniors Andie Arblaster and Izzy Bair and sophomore Aslyn Pry will also start.The fifth spot will most likely come down to matchups with several players as candidates to fill that role.Arblaster will also have a fairly deep bench.“We have three girls who will have to play a lot of minutes,” Arblaster said. “But I'll probably go eight deep.“We're definitely going to have to have a different style,” Arblaster added. “We're going to have to be very team-oriented.”
North CatholicCoach: Molly Rottmann, 21st seasonLast Year: 25-4, won WPIAL title and reached state semifinals.Whatever success the Trojanettes meet with this season will depend heavily on the team's returning “Big Three”.That includes senior forward Dani Short and junior guards Tess Myers and Kylee Lewandowski.Short and Lewandowski both stand 6-foot-1.“Kylee has unbelievable length. She's able to challenge so many shots,” said Rottmann. “Dani has size, too, and Tess has a great motor. That's a pretty daunting trio to go up against.“They have a tremendous amount of experience. They all worked hard over the summer and their skill set is better.”All three averaged in double figures in scoring in 2017-18, with Myers leading the pack at 13.8.Lewandowski drained 36 treys as a sophomore and Short paced North Catholic with 6.3 boards per game.Junior Emma Pospisil will man the point this year after splitting the role with the graduated Ashley Robbins last season.Another junior, Cassie Foster, will start at shooting guard.Rottmann expects three or four players to make key contributions off the bench.“We will be an up-tempo team, will play a lot of full-court press and will run a lot,” she said.
Seneca ValleyCoach: Todd Schoeffel, 1st season (3rd stint)Last Year: 11-11The cupboard is far from bare for Schoeffel's return to the bench.In senior guards McKenna Gross and Gretchen Koken, the Raiders have a solid foundation to build upon.Gross, a point guard, paced last season's WPIAL playoff team with 16.2 points per game while Koken averaged 12.4 in support. They bring three previous years and two years, respectively, of starting experience into this season.“McKenna is an excellent leader and Gretchen is learning how to lead,” Schoeffel said. “On most nights, they will probably be our top two scorers, but it's nice to know that we have other girls who can step up. Haley (Cramer, junior guard) and Maddie (Karchut, junior forward) are both capable of scoring 15 to 18 points in a game.”Schoeffel is also high on Jess Bickart, who is expected to be the team's fifth starter.“No fear,” he said of the freshman guard. “We recently scrimmaged Slippery Rock and North Catholic and she was not intimidated by the process at all.”Schoeffel referred to his bench as “young,” but does envision junior forward Lexi Peffer and sophomore guard Jaden Davinsizer as top contributors.“A lot of the girls have experience in (previous coach) Rob Lombardo's system,” he said. “The wildcard is how quickly can they pick up what we're going to do.“We plan on having an offense that is more free-flowing. Defensively, we have the athletes to play man-to-man, though we will still play some zone.”The Raiders will attempt to make the postseason for the sixth straight year.“We have the talent,” said Schoeffel. “Our destiny is in our hands.”
Slippery RockCoach: Amber Osborn, 3rd seasonLast Year: 20-5Coming off a District 10 5A championship, the Rockets, with a deep and talented core returning, are shooting for a repeat.But first thing's first.“I think that target is going to be on our back a little bit,” Osborn said. “Honestly, I said, 'How about we just win our tip-off tournament.'”That's because the Slippery Rock girls tip-off tournament is stocked with good teams.Including defending PIAA 5A champion Mars.“Even when I was here with (previous head coach John Tabisz), we never won our tip-off tournament,” Osborn said. “We always have tough teams. We have Keystone, Mars — state champions — and Kennedy Catholic.”The Rockets, though, feel pretty good about this opening weekend and beyond.Sure, Slippery Rock lost two starters in Macy McCall and Jenna Heitzenrater, but it also returns Region 5 player of the year Emma McDermott and three sophomores who excelled as freshmen in Anna Kadlubek, Hallie Raabe and Maryann Ackerman.That quartet combined to average 43.7 points per game last season.The fifth starter could be any number of players from a deep pool.Perhaps the most intriguing of those candidates is senior Michaella Roth, a home-schooled student who played at First Baptist Christian School before joining the Rockets this season.Her brother, Judah, plays for the Slippery Rock boys basketball team.“She played soccer for us and she started coming to open gyms for us,” Osborn said. “We gladly welcome her with open arms because she's a very hard worker. She's a good shooter. Really active hands defensively. Fast.”Sophomore Ashley Shea and freshmen Bronwyn McCoy and Ella McDermott could also see steady minutes.“I'd say I'm close to being nine, 10 deep,” Osborn said.
UnionCoach: Allyson Kepple, 2nd seasonLast Year: 7-15Replacing nearly 16 points and eight rebounds per game is the biggest challenge facing the Damsels this season.That is the production Union lost when forward Frankee Remmick graduated last spring, but Kepple won't be asking any one player to fill the void.“We will be looking at a host of players to step up,” she said. “We have a big class of freshmen and four of them will be dressing for varsity. I think the young players, combined with the experienced girls will be a good mix for us.”The latter group includes returning starters Bryn Davis and Marli Hawk, both senior guards, and sophomore forward Morgan Cumberland.Davis is the team's top returning scorer at 5.5 points per contest. Hawk averaged 4.8, but Kepple is hoping that better play on the glass will turn into more points.
<b>A-C Valley</b>Name Ht. Pos. Yr.Olivia Boocks 5-7 G Sr.Kylee Eaton 5-9 F Sr.Cami McNany 5-4 G/F Sr.Emily Wetzel 5-2 G Jr.Rachel Cullen 5-2 G So.Andrea Meals 5-8 F So.Mia Sherman 5-7 G/F So.Baylee Blauser 5-6 G/F Fr.Rylee Bowser 5-6 G/F Fr.Paige Klingler 5-5 G Fr.Summer Redmond 5-7 F Fr.Meah Schiberl-Ielase5-8 F Fr.<b>Butler</b>Name Ht. Pos. Yr.Emilee Altman 5-8 G/F Sr.Julia Gibson 5-10 F Sr.Heidi Gross 5-5 G Sr.Sydney Hanratty 5-7 G Sr.Audrey Hilliard 5-7 G Sr.Elizabeth Friel 5-2 G Jr.Jordan Kauffman 5-9 G/F Jr.Hailey Metzger 5-3 G Jr.Anna Michalek 5-5 F Jr.Emma Monteleone 5-3 G Jr.Emma Simmers 5-4 G Jr.Alison Altman 5-11 F So.Sarayne Forbes 5-5 GSo.Makenna Maier 5-7 G/F Fr.Aubree Tack 5-3 G Fr.<b>Freeport</b>Name Ht. Pos. Yr.Lydia Bouch 5-5 GSr.Ally DeJidas 5-10 FSr.Haley Graham 5-10 FSr.Madeline Clark 5-6 GJr.Samantha Clark 5-6 GJr.Louisa Fennell 5-4 GJr.Harley Holloway 5-5 GJr.Tori Radvan 5-6 FJr.Sidney Shemanski 5-10 GJr.Te'a Smith 5-6 GJr.Delanie Toy 5-5 GJr.Grace Soilis 5-5 GSo.Jena Gaillot 5-5 GFr.Leah Hartman 5-9 FFr.<b>Karns City</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.Maura King 5-9 FSr.Madeleine Staavi 5-10 FSr.Alyssa Stitt 5-3 GSr.Emma Clark 5-6 GJr.Ashley Crispen 5-6 GJr.Elizabeth DeRose 5-6 GJr.Brittney Friters 5-7 FJr.Emily Huff 5-6 FJr.Madison Kelly 5-5 GJr.Kate Slaugenhoup 5-6 GJr.Peyton Turner 5-6 GJr.Julia Andreassi 5-7 FFr.Abigail Callihan 5-7 GFr.Alyson Fennell 5-4 GFr.Emma Johns 5-6 GFr.Brooke Manuel 5-9 FFr.Rossi McMillen 5-9 FFr.<b>Knoch</b>Name Ht. Pos. Yr.Julia Burgard 5-10 F Jr.Skylar Burkett 5-9 G Jr.Lauren Cihonski 5-11 F Jr.Jaylee Lassinger 5-7 G Jr.Abbey Sherer 5-6 G Jr.Sami Archer 5-6 G So.Brooke Bauer 5-3 G So.Nevaeh Ewing 5-10 G So.Amanda Huckestein 5-1 G So.Terann McElravy 6-0 F So.Madilyn Boyer 5-6 G Fr.Mackenzie McGraw 5-6 G Fr.<b>Mars</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.Haylee Fredericks 5-8 GSr.Tai Johnson 5-8 GSr.Regan Kramm 5-10 FSr.Cassie Mueller 5-8 FSr.Caroline Barent 6-0 FJr.Mara Fuller 5-9 G/FJr.Olivia Lockette 5-7 GJr.Bella Pelaia 5-11 G/FJr.Ellie Coffield 5-6 GSo.Alek Johnson 5-8 GSo.Madeleine Horvath 5-8 FSo.Carly Kern 5-6 GSo.Ava Black 6-0 FFr.Kylee Fredericks 5-4 GFr.Kaitlyn Pelaia 5-10 G/FFr.<b>Moniteau</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.Andie Arblaster 5-6 GSr.Izzy Bair 5-6 G/FSr.Mia Loos 6-0 CSr.Dolcey Shunk 5-4 GSr.Kristin Auvil 5-10 GJr.Kaitee Chesonis 5-7 FJr.Katelyn Daniels 5-7 C/FJr.Haley Pry 5-6 GJr.Zoe Hillwig 5-3 GSo.Aslyn Pry 5-8 GSo.Ivie Scott 5-9 FSo.<b>North Catholic</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.Dani Short 6-2 FSr.Sarah Berardelli 6-1 FJr.Branygan Bianchin 5-4 GJr.Cassie Foster 5-5 GJr.Lauren Guy 5-5 GJr.Carlie Kreutzer 5-4 GJr.Kylee Lewandowski 6-1 GJr.Tess Myers 5-10 GJr.Belle O'Hara 5-11 FJr.Emma Pospisil 5-4 GJr.Lucy Waskiewicz 5-7 GJr.Lexi Raabe 5-8 FFr.Gianna Timko 5-3 GFr.<b>Seneca Valley</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.McKenna Gross 5-6 GSr.Gretchen Koken 5-8 GSr.Olivia Neuman 5-6 GSr.Haley Cramer 5-8 GJr.Maddie Karchut 6-1 FJr.Katie Maloney 5-4 GJr.Lexi Peffer 5-10 FJr.Jaden Davinsizer 5-7 GSo.Emilee Neuman 5-7 G/FSo.Anna Sikora 5-8 GSo.Kaitlyn Wolfe 5-7 G/FSo.Jess Bickart 5-7 GFr.Sydney Ring 5-8 GFr.Olivia West 5-9 GFr.<b>Slippery Rock</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.Emma McDermott 6-0 G/FSr.Michaella Roth 5-5 GSr.Madigan Roxberry 5-3 GSr.Destiny Flynn 5-6 FJr.Maryann Ackerman 5-5 G/FSo.Kelly Benson 5-3 GSo.Gina Coffaro 5-9 G/FSo.Anna Kadlubek 5-7 GSo.Hallie Raabe 5-8 G/FSo.Ashley Shea 5-5 GSo.Isabelle Willison 5-7 G/FSo.Gianna Bedel 5-5 GFr.Katie Book 5-6 GFr.Bronwyn McCoy 5-7 C/FFr.Ella McDermott 5-8 GFr.Audrey Kura 5-5 GFr.<b>Union</b>Name Ht. Pos.Yr.Bryn Davis 5-4 GSr.Marli Hawk 5-2 GSr.Jada Zitzman 5-5 FSr.Cassie Austin 5-2 GSo.Morgan Cumberland 5-6 FSo.Kiera Zitzman 5-4 FSo.Keira Croyle 5-5 GFr.Hailey Kriebel 5-6 G/FFr.Dominika Logue 5-10 FFr.Maggie Minick 5-7 FFr.
