CHERRY TWP - Moniteau's girls basketball program is too deep for one team, so it might have two.

"We have a lot of girls who can play," fifth-year coach Mark Yeager. "We may have a separate unit we put on the floor when we want to apply full-court pressure and make things happen.

"It's something we've been experimenting with and I like what I've seen so far. I'm excited about it."

The Warriors lost only two starters - Brittany Beachem and Melissa Casper - from last year's 11-13 team. Moniteau's top two scorers return.

Junior guard Alyssa Deal averaged 14.2 points per game and sank 38 3-pointers a year ago. Senior point guard Natalie DeMatteis averaged 10.5 points per game.Kristin Baronetski, a 5-foot-8 junior forward, is the other returning starter."We're more experienced as a team, and that will help us," DeMatteis said. "We're going to run up and down the floor and play a fast-tempo game."That's fun for the players because we can wear other teams out."Senior forward Laken Burk and senior guard Jenna Beatty round out Moniteau's starting five. Burk is playing forward despite standing just 5-5."That's our problem - we have a lot of girls who are 5-5," Yeager said. "We have no size. I wouldn't know how to coach a 6-footer because I've never had one."We have a lot of quick guard types, and we're going to use that personnel to pressure the ball and try to force mistakes."Deal will be the constant on Moniteau's "second" team. Sara Vinca, Jodie Davis and sophomores Amy and Amanda Gladd join her."Honestly, we could go 12 deep," Yeager said. "Most of these girls have the same intensity and skill level. I love the attitude and aggressiveness on this team."We want to keep players fresh and win games in the fourth quarter.""Other teams will have bigger players, but we can tire them out," DeMatteis said. "Our transition game should be solid."Yeager said Union and Clarion should be the top contenders in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference and "we should be in that next tier of teams."We know nothing about the new teams up north, but Cranberry has a good tradition and I hear West Forest is the cream of the crop up there."Regardless, the Warriors are planning to make the playoffs."The intangibles are on our side," Yeager said.

2004-05 Girls ScheduleDec. 3-4-at Kittanning Tournament; Dec. 8-KEYSTONE, 6 p.m.; Dec. 10-at Cranberry, 6 p.m.; Dec. 14-at Karns City, 6 p.m.; Dec. 17-ROCKY GROVE, 6 p.m.; Dec. 21-at Union, 6 p.m.; Dec. 23-CLARION, 6 p.m.Jan. 5-at North Clarion, 6 p.m.; Jan. 7-VENANGO CHRISTIAN, 6 p.m.; Jan. 10-at Portersville Christian, 4 p.m.; Jan. 11-at Redbank Valley, 6 p.m.; Jan. 14-at Clarion-Limestone, 6:30 p.m.; Jan. 19-WEST FOREST, 6 p.m.; Jan. 21-A-C VALLEY, 6 p.m.; Jan. 25-at East Forest, 6 p.m.; Jan. 28-at Keystone, 6:30 p.m.; Jan. 31-PORTERSVILLE CHRISTIAN, 6 p.m.Feb. 4-KARNS CITY, 6 p.m.; Feb. 11-CRANBERRY, 6 p.m.