Teams are searching for improved offense
Looking for offense? Join the club.
Butler, Seneca Valley, Knoch and Moniteau are among Butler County girls basketball teams looking for improved point production to produce big seasons.
Here is a look at Butler County area girls basketball for 2008-09:
ButlerCoach:Dorothea Epps, sixth year
Last Year:24-4The names are changing, the philosophy isn't.Butler lost four starters — Erica Miller, Karissa King, Lyndsy Day and Kayla Gilliland — from last season, but returns its best player and a stellar defense."Our defense has won so many games for us over the years,"Epps said. "Good defense keeps you in games and we expect that to happen again."Junior point guard Olivia Bresnahan averaged 15.1 points per game last season and will run the Golden Tornado offense again. Senior forward Jenna Manuel (7.5 ppg.) will be on he floor with her.The other starting positions are up for grabs among senior forward Rachel Doutt and four junior guards: Casie Cygan, Amanda Dymun, Katresa Savisky and Casey Fleeger."Whether we start three guards or four depends on how those other three starting positions shake out,"Epps said.Cygan averaged 8.8 points per game a year ago and drained 39 3-pointers."Besides Manuel and Cygan, those other four have played virtually no varsity minutes,"Epps said. "We're going to be inexperienced in some areas."Having your best player handling the ball as a three-year starter is a definite plus. Olivia will get the ball in the hands of her teammates in a position to score."The Tornado's goals remain the same:Qualify for the playoffs and make a run at the WPIALtitle."It's pretty wide open this year,"Epps said of WPIALgirls basketball. "Our girls know it's all about guts and heart. When you're on the floor, you have to get after it."
KnochCoach:Curt Vasas, sixth year
Last Year:4-19The Knights are tired of losing."They sent me that message after our season ended last year,"Vasas said. "Our juniors and seniors played AAUball, we played in a summer league. ... We've played throughout the off-season."During the last five or six games of last season, these girls started playing together a lot. Things began to click. I think those last few games together are going to pay off this year."Knoch's returning starting five include senior forwards Sara Montgomery and Laura Gray, senior guard Lindsay MacArthur, and junior guards Haley Hutterer and Hannah Novotny.MacArthur suffered a knee injuryin April and won't be back in the lineup until later in December.The 6-foot Montgomery averaged 7.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season. Hutterer averaged 5.9 points, 3.0 assists and sank 21 3-pointers."Sara was injured part of last year and was fighting off the effects of mono,"Vasas said. "Now she's completely healthy and she gives us an inside presence."We had a few kids out sick last year. It was one of those seasons."Emily Protzman, Regina Robb and Taylor Tresatti are top players off the bench for the Knights."Our team defense has gotten so much better,"Vasas said. "We're looking for an identity offensively, but we've got girls who can score points. Haley and Hannah are good shooters and Laura Gray is a versatile player."
<B>MarsCoach:</B> Tony Howard, second year<B>Last Year:</B> 11-13The 2007-08 season wasn't the smoothest ride for the Planets, but the squad persevered and Howard is optimistic about the upcoming campaign."We understand how many (wins) it will take to compete in our section," said Howard. "We can't afford to give away many games at the front end of our schedule."Leading the Planets this year will be senior guard- forward Lily Grenci, who won the Butler Eagle Girls Basketball Player of the Year award as a junior by averaging 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.She is one of four seniors on this year's squad, along with forward Maureen Cress, guard Ally Demetriadis and center Kehle Pelles."Lily had a great individual season last year, but she's taken more of a vocal role on the floor for us," said Howard.The 6-foot-1 Grenci will shift between the frontcourt and the backcourt.Demetriadis and Ashley Lynch will see time at guard, and Alexa Lee will get ample time at the point.Lee saw significant playing time as a freshman in 2007-08 and scored 69 points."There's never been a question about (Lee's) ability," said Howard. "Last year, I think it was just the shock of making the jump to varsity. From middle school to high school, her role changed from being asked to take the shots to dishing the ball off.The frontcourt will be a combination of Cress, Elaine Hasek and Kelsey Pelles at forward and 6-foot-3 Kehle Pelles at center.Cress, who is 5-9, could become the Planets' 3-point specialist. She hit eight last year in limited time, including three in a win over Valley.<B>Seneca ValleyCoach:</B> Kelly Mathews, third year<B>Last Year:</B> 10-15The Seneca Valley girls basketball team is in search of some offense.Last year, the Raiders scratched their way to a 6-6 record in Section 3-AAAA, which was good enough for a WPIAL playoff berth.The team gave up a stingy 43 points per game in the process."Defense is always a focus of ours," said third-year coach Kelly Mathews. "I just hope we can score a few more points."SV averaged 43.7 points per contest last season and graduated three of its top five scorers in Jackie Mangola (10.2), Kelsey Patsilevas (7.2) and Megan Gebrosky (5.1).Those three players also accounted for 63 3-pointers in 2007-08.The team does return two starters in senior guard Aly Eagle (8.2 ppg. and 20 3-pointers) and senior forward Catherine Messmer (6.1 ppg.).Eagle will play point guard to start the season and could remain there much of the campaign."The last couple of years, we've had Jackie Mangola as our leader," said Mathews. "We're looking to Aly to be a leader this year.""I've been impressed with her so far," she added. "She put in a lot of hard work over the summer."The only other starting spot won so far is in the frontcourt, where 5-foot-9 freshman Alex Karika will join Messmer at forward.The Raiders will go with three guards, but other than Eagle, those spots are still up for grabs.With four freshmen and four sophomores making up eight of the program's 13 varsity players, the Raiders are a very young team."Our biggest strength right now is our ability to run the floor," said Mathews. "We're not that big, but we have some speed."<B>FreeportCoach:</B> Bill Burkart, second year<B>Last Year:</B> 4-17Last season, Freeport was a very young team under first-year coach Bill Burkart.This season, they've actually gotten younger.The Yellowjackets have only two seniors, forwards Andrea Ferko and Courtney Chelecki, and one junior, Erica Carnahan, following the loss of junior guard Becca Burkart after season-ending shoulder surgery.After that, the team has seven sophomores and 10 freshmen that will vie for playing time."Andrea started for us last year, playing in the shadows of Jordan Dunn and Samantha Campbell," said Bill Burkart, "Along with Courtney and (sophomore guard) Anna Christy, they all got a year under their belts, so I think that will help them."Campbell averaged 14.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game while Dunn averaged 9.9 points and added 39 3-pointers for the Yellowjackets (4-17 overall)."Right now, it's still wide open," said Burkart on the other two starting spots and top reserves. "We're still trying to sort these things out.""Christy got off to a hot start as a freshman last season, reaching double figures in points in the first six games, but none after."I think we'll look to her to score a little more for us. Last season, Jordan and Sam are the ones people concentrated on. Anna's a year older now,"Burkart added.
<B>Karns CityCoach:</B> Dave Kerschbaumer, fourth year<B>Last Year:</B> 16-11After winning the District 9 Class AA crown last season, Karns City coach Dave Kerschbaumer hopes some of that magic can rub off on this year's team."Hopefully, our tradition will pull us early," said Kerschbaumer. "We'll struggle early, but, by the end of the year, we'll be a better basketball team."Gone from last year's 16-11 team are Butler Eagle All-Star Allyson Kepple, who averaged 14.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.5 steals per game, plus Kylee Rankin (5.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Katie Weibel (2.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg).But the team will look to the steadying influence of senior forward Ashley Campbell.Campbell averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and her leadership will be instrumental, especially early in the season."Ashley will have to carry us early while others get their feet wet," said Kerschbaumer. "She has enough of a game to do that."It'll be tough to replace Ally, all her points and her on and off-the-court leadership. She was a four-year starter,"Kerschbaumer added.She will be joined in the starting rotation by senior guards Hannah Beck (2.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Taylor Kerschbaumer, and junior forwards Caitlin Davis and Stephanie Stoughton."Hannah's a two-year starter and I think she'll blossom this year," said Kerschbaumer. "She did a lot of things over the summer. She did a lot last year that didn't show up on the scoreboard."Taylor running the point will be all right. She got some playing time last year and did well in the summer,"Kerschbaumer added.Juniors Corrine Conto, Jennifer Pickett and Sarah Young will provide depth at guard. Senior Madeline McKain will do likewise at forward.<B>MoniteauCoach:</B> Mark Yeager, eighth year<B>Last Year:</B> 9-12After getting knocked around the last two seasons, the Warriors are ready to hand out some punishment of its own."These girls are hungry," said Moniteau coach Mark Yeager. "They've taken their lumps the last few years and they are sick of it."This might be the team to break that slump.Moniteau went 9-12 last season. The main bugaboo was an offense that averaged 42 points per game and cracked 50 points only four times.But top scorers Jenna McCorry and Maura McCaslin return poised to put a charge into the offense."We're much more athletic this year," Yeager said. "Maura was very streaky last year, but she seems to have settled down and McCorry is pretty deadly from the outside. Kathleen Harding is a slasher and she did a great job last year."The key may be post player Alex Guercio, who is developing into an inside force."She is very athletic, too," Yeager said.The renewed optimism has the Warriors thinking Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference championship."I think this team is a lot better," Yeager said. "I think this team is a contender. West Forest and Cranberry are going to be very good. Union is always up there and Dave (Kerschbaumer) always does a great job at Karns City. I think we can be right up there with them."<B>UnionCoach:</B>Josh Meeker, seventh year<B>Last Year:</B>18-10The Golden Damsels lost leading scorer Torrie Smith (14.0 ppg.) to graduation, but return their other four starters.Senior point guard Courtney Frederick (9.8 ppg.), senior guards Melissa Shook and Lenae Cicciarelli, and sophomore forward Tina Lipps are back.Lipps averaged 7.3 points and 9.9 rebounds as a freshman."I'm anticipating more production from Tina as she matures as a varsity player,"Meeker said. "There's a lot of ability there."I don't see one big scorer on this team and I'm hoping we're more balanced. I'm hoping we get points from a variety of sources."Union's second starting forward will come from either juniors Lepha Logue or Brooke Pollock, or senior Amanda Barger.Meeker is hopeful his bench has four or five girls ready to contribute."Our defense will be a strength," he said. "We stress defense a lot in practice and our players have bought into that concept."We have our 40-under club. Keep a team under 40 points and you stand a great chance of winning the game."<B>A-C ValleyCoach:</B> Lane Larimore, second year<B>Last Year:</B> 2-22Why not us?That's what Lane Larimore is asking himself and his players as the Falcons prepare to open the 2008-09 season.A-C Valley broke a 47-game losing streak last year with a 47-29 win over Elderton Jan. 18.A-C Valley ended the season with a 2-22 record."A few years ago, the volleyball team here won just a few games and this year, they were one of the top teams in the league," said Larimore. "The softball team went from three wins to making the playoffs last season. It can be done."The Falcons will be counting on junior guard-forward Erin Larimore and senior center Maryellen Busch to lead the team after they combined to average 12.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game a season ago.Both players added more than a blocked shot per game and Larimore averaged 1.5 steals.Also seeing significant time in the backcourt will be point guard Meghan Cratty and shooting guard Nicole Marshall.The rest of the frontcourt includes Christa Moores (2.9 ppg and 2.1 rpg last year), and Shelbi Cervenec, who will be a valuable player coming off the bench.Busch and Moores both stand 5-feet-11 and could provide the team with a solid rebounding duo in the paint."I know this sounds ambitious, but I really do think .500 is attainable for us," Coach Larimore said.
<B>Slippery RockCoach:</B> Adrienne Orris, third year.<B>Last Year:</B> 17-8Inside? Outside? It won't matter.The Rockets are going to transcend roles this season.And why not? With a roster full of versatility and experience that belie their youth, Slippery Rock is poised for a productive season."Our post players are going to shoot from the outside and our guards are going to score on the inside," said third-year Slippery Rock coach Adrienne Orris. "Everyone is going to be a threat anywhere on the floor. That's going to make us hard to guard."Slippery Rock was pretty hard to guard last season.With a team of sophomores, the Rockets lost in the first round of the District 10 Class AAA playoffs to finish 17-8.All nine players who saw significant minutes return and Orris has several freshmen who may contribute."If they can learn to play at the varsity pace effectively, they can contribute," Orris said. "That was one of our weaknesses last year. There were games when we needed subs and it was hard to find any."Slippery Rock will be able to score points in bunches, led by junior guards Karly and Kourtney Rhoads.The twins combined for 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, six steals and 91 3-pointers a year ago.One year older, stronger, faster and tougher, the duo may improve on those lofty numbers this season."You will see the difference in them this year," Orris said. "Last year, they were sophomores and they still had their sophomore bodies, even though their talent was beyond a typical sophomore. They have their junior bodies now and they are stronger and they will go to the hoop more. You will see the difference in their maturity as well."Sarah Cessar has developed an even more precise 3-point shot to go with her nine points and nine rebounds per game. Adele Campbell, at 5-foot-10, has a midrange jumper and two freshmen top out at 6-foot.And then there is the X-factor: Taylor Crocker, who had some huge games last season and figures to see more playing time.That puts expectations pretty high to Rocket Nation. Orris is trying her best to keep the expectations in house at a minimum."Our only goal right now is to have fun," she said.<B>Grove CityCoach:</B> T.L. Thompson, third year<B>Last Year:</B> 11-13It's Year 1 of T.L. Thompson's two-year plan.The third-year Eagles coach has no seniors on her roster and 48-plus games to work with."All of these girls have always played for me and they have a strong idea of the system I want to run," Thompson said. "I feel like I'm way ahead of where I usually am at this point."Caitlin McNamara, who scored a team-high 12.3 points per game, returns with even more aggressiveness in her game.McNamara will be just as prone to drive to the hoop as take a jumper or a 3-pointer."She's relying less and less on her outside shooting, which is good for us," Thompson said. "We have other girls this year who can shoot from the outside. She's dishing the ball and handling it a lot better. We can use her in a lot of different ways."Grove City, which finished 11-13 last year and narrowly missed the playoffs, may have to get by without its biggest inside threat for half the season.Junior Sammi Bell has injured knee and is contemplating surgery that will keep her out until the region schedule.There is a chance she might skip the surgery and play the entire season through the pain.The most important player on the floor, though, may be point guard Lexi Caporalli."The way she plays may be the key to our whole season," Thompson said.
