Girls' Basketball Previews
By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
pnewell@evesun.com
CHENANGO COUNTY – Some area clubs have already played their season-opening games, while most of area’s hoops clubs will open their seasons in the next few days. Below are brief summaries of clubs covered in The Evening Sun coverage area. Friday, we take a look at the boys’ basketball teams:
Bainbridge-Guilford
Head coach: Bob Conway
2010 season: The Bobcats were tied for the area’s best record last year (17-4) winning a MAC division title, but lost in the league championship game to Harpursville. Shania Vandermark, Randi Conway, Corrine Riegel, and Chelsi Rosa led the Bobcats in scoring.
2011 season: Vandermark and Conway are back for their senior seasons and fourth together on varsity. The forward-guard duo may be the most potent one-two scoring punch in the Midstate Athletic Conference averaging a combined 27 points per game just one season ago. However, five of Coach Conway’s top seven players from last year graduated. Freshmen Morgan Bullis and Alissa Rivera will start at the forward spots, and sophomore guard Abbey Smith will play in the backcourt with Conway. The Bobcats tackle a rigorous schedule in the opening month of season, and could be fighting an uphill battle to make the postseason.
G-MU
Head coach: Jim Johnson
2010 season: The Raiders finished 17-4 winning the Tri-Valley League championship game and picking up two sectional playoff wins in advancing to the semifinals. The team was led by seniors Brianne Lambert and Tanya Barnes.
2011 season: Senior Miranda Hill did much of the ballhandling last year, and added several double figures scoring games. Sabrina Brooks and Blake Stensland added sparks of offense off the bench. Kristen Barnes started last year at forward, and is a capable rebounder. Lauren Hill, Whitney Gilbert, Jenn Mason, Nikki Savarese, and Tori Hutzley add depth off the bench.
Greene
Head coach: Dave Gorton
2010 season: The Trojans won four games in a row in two separate instances last year, but closed with back-to-back losses to finish 10-9 on the season. Junior Kaitlin Gorton had a strong second half of last season, and led the team in scoring at just under 10 points per game.
2011: Coach Gorton returns three of last year’s top four scorers – Gorton, Rebecca Smith, and Jessica Brooks. He also has newcomers Sierra Stoppkotte and Paige Castle up from JV who should contribute, and athletic senior, Rebecca Hanrahan, is new to the basketball program. Coach Gorton said the league is as balanced as it has been in years, and his team should be competitive with everyone.
Norwich
Head coach: Josh Bennett
2010 season: Norwich finished with a 15-5 record, and was one victory away from the school’s third Section IV championship in nine years losing to Maine-Endwell in the title game. Bryn Loomis and Hannah Runyon led Norwich in scoring last year with Loomis returning for her senior season.
2011 season: Loomis is a proven scorer and in her third year as a starting guard for Bennett. Hailey Dietrich is also a third-year varsity player along with Cassie Sutton and Sophie Stewart. Jenny Borfitz, a returning sophomore guard, moves into a starter’s role for the Tornado. Breanna Cashman is a key reserve forward up from the junior varsity. Miranda Costin, a reserve last year, is back with the team after missing the end of last season with a knee injury.
Otselic Valley
Head coach: Ron Graham
2010 season: Scoring points was a problem for the Vikings, who went 4-13 a season ago, and scored over 40 points just twice – against the same team. Last year’s best offensive players were Niki Olin, Hope Reynolds, Amber Monroe, and Jessica Loomis.
2011 season: Nearly all of longtime coach Ron Graham’s key players from last year are back. Graham says he has nine girls on the team that can run the floor, and getting shots should not be a problem. Graham expects to see marked improvement throughout the season.
Oxford
Head coach: Chris Palmer
2010 season: Oxford, led by 1,000-point career scorer Haley Witchella, went 14-6 on the season, while also winning its opening sectional playoff game. After Witchella, the next four leading scorers were all underclassmen for coach Palmer.
2011 season: The Blackhawks are battling some player ineligibility issues at the outset of the season. In place right now seniors Julianne and Jacquelyn Heggie, each in their third varsity seasons, and the number two and three leading scorers from last season. Lacey Barry, the fourth leading scorer is also back. Brooke Noble, a senior, found her place a season ago coming off the bench. She was a steady scorer on the junior varsity two seasons ago, and should hike her scoring and rebounding numbers this year. Coach Palmer hopes to have around six players averaging anywhere from six to 10 points a game, and if his charges can do that, he expects Oxford to win its share of games.
Sherburne-Earlville
Head coach: Karen Mulligan
2010 season: The Marauders again posted a sparkling regular season mark of 15-3 led by all-division players Caitlynn Adams and Briget Irwin. Irwin and Adams have gone the way of graduation, and S-E was unable to make a run in the postseason losing its first-round game.
2011 season: Top returning scorer, Cassie Beaver, a second-team all-Evening Sun pick is back. Beaver averaged over 12 points per game to go with nearly six rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Van Althuis should rachet up her contributions this year, too. Coming off the bench, Van Althuis averaged over six points a game the second half of the season. Coach Mulligan also welcomes JV import Mikayla Solloway, who will move into the starting lineup.
Unadilla Valley
Head coach: Brandi Backus
2010 season: Although UV went just 5-13 a year ago, the Storm were much more competitive. Amanda Off and Jordan Anderson, now juniors, led the team in scoring as sophomores.
2011 season: Along with Off and Anderson, Taylor Davis, now a sophomore, came up the second half of the year, and should make for a solid one-two-three scoring trio for the Storm. This could be the year where UV turns the corner and moves past the .500 mark for the first time in several seasons. Corrine Izard, up from the junior varsity, adds quickness and strong defense to the mix. Backus said she has a basketball-smart group, and more depth than her previous years as head coach.
Sun Sports Editor
pnewell@evesun.com
CHENANGO COUNTY – Some area clubs have already played their season-opening games, while most of area’s hoops clubs will open their seasons in the next few days. Below are brief summaries of clubs covered in The Evening Sun coverage area. Friday, we take a look at the boys’ basketball teams:
Bainbridge-Guilford
Head coach: Bob Conway
2010 season: The Bobcats were tied for the area’s best record last year (17-4) winning a MAC division title, but lost in the league championship game to Harpursville. Shania Vandermark, Randi Conway, Corrine Riegel, and Chelsi Rosa led the Bobcats in scoring.
2011 season: Vandermark and Conway are back for their senior seasons and fourth together on varsity. The forward-guard duo may be the most potent one-two scoring punch in the Midstate Athletic Conference averaging a combined 27 points per game just one season ago. However, five of Coach Conway’s top seven players from last year graduated. Freshmen Morgan Bullis and Alissa Rivera will start at the forward spots, and sophomore guard Abbey Smith will play in the backcourt with Conway. The Bobcats tackle a rigorous schedule in the opening month of season, and could be fighting an uphill battle to make the postseason.
G-MU
Head coach: Jim Johnson
2010 season: The Raiders finished 17-4 winning the Tri-Valley League championship game and picking up two sectional playoff wins in advancing to the semifinals. The team was led by seniors Brianne Lambert and Tanya Barnes.
2011 season: Senior Miranda Hill did much of the ballhandling last year, and added several double figures scoring games. Sabrina Brooks and Blake Stensland added sparks of offense off the bench. Kristen Barnes started last year at forward, and is a capable rebounder. Lauren Hill, Whitney Gilbert, Jenn Mason, Nikki Savarese, and Tori Hutzley add depth off the bench.
Greene
Head coach: Dave Gorton
2010 season: The Trojans won four games in a row in two separate instances last year, but closed with back-to-back losses to finish 10-9 on the season. Junior Kaitlin Gorton had a strong second half of last season, and led the team in scoring at just under 10 points per game.
2011: Coach Gorton returns three of last year’s top four scorers – Gorton, Rebecca Smith, and Jessica Brooks. He also has newcomers Sierra Stoppkotte and Paige Castle up from JV who should contribute, and athletic senior, Rebecca Hanrahan, is new to the basketball program. Coach Gorton said the league is as balanced as it has been in years, and his team should be competitive with everyone.
Norwich
Head coach: Josh Bennett
2010 season: Norwich finished with a 15-5 record, and was one victory away from the school’s third Section IV championship in nine years losing to Maine-Endwell in the title game. Bryn Loomis and Hannah Runyon led Norwich in scoring last year with Loomis returning for her senior season.
2011 season: Loomis is a proven scorer and in her third year as a starting guard for Bennett. Hailey Dietrich is also a third-year varsity player along with Cassie Sutton and Sophie Stewart. Jenny Borfitz, a returning sophomore guard, moves into a starter’s role for the Tornado. Breanna Cashman is a key reserve forward up from the junior varsity. Miranda Costin, a reserve last year, is back with the team after missing the end of last season with a knee injury.
Otselic Valley
Head coach: Ron Graham
2010 season: Scoring points was a problem for the Vikings, who went 4-13 a season ago, and scored over 40 points just twice – against the same team. Last year’s best offensive players were Niki Olin, Hope Reynolds, Amber Monroe, and Jessica Loomis.
2011 season: Nearly all of longtime coach Ron Graham’s key players from last year are back. Graham says he has nine girls on the team that can run the floor, and getting shots should not be a problem. Graham expects to see marked improvement throughout the season.
Oxford
Head coach: Chris Palmer
2010 season: Oxford, led by 1,000-point career scorer Haley Witchella, went 14-6 on the season, while also winning its opening sectional playoff game. After Witchella, the next four leading scorers were all underclassmen for coach Palmer.
2011 season: The Blackhawks are battling some player ineligibility issues at the outset of the season. In place right now seniors Julianne and Jacquelyn Heggie, each in their third varsity seasons, and the number two and three leading scorers from last season. Lacey Barry, the fourth leading scorer is also back. Brooke Noble, a senior, found her place a season ago coming off the bench. She was a steady scorer on the junior varsity two seasons ago, and should hike her scoring and rebounding numbers this year. Coach Palmer hopes to have around six players averaging anywhere from six to 10 points a game, and if his charges can do that, he expects Oxford to win its share of games.
Sherburne-Earlville
Head coach: Karen Mulligan
2010 season: The Marauders again posted a sparkling regular season mark of 15-3 led by all-division players Caitlynn Adams and Briget Irwin. Irwin and Adams have gone the way of graduation, and S-E was unable to make a run in the postseason losing its first-round game.
2011 season: Top returning scorer, Cassie Beaver, a second-team all-Evening Sun pick is back. Beaver averaged over 12 points per game to go with nearly six rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Van Althuis should rachet up her contributions this year, too. Coming off the bench, Van Althuis averaged over six points a game the second half of the season. Coach Mulligan also welcomes JV import Mikayla Solloway, who will move into the starting lineup.
Unadilla Valley
Head coach: Brandi Backus
2010 season: Although UV went just 5-13 a year ago, the Storm were much more competitive. Amanda Off and Jordan Anderson, now juniors, led the team in scoring as sophomores.
2011 season: Along with Off and Anderson, Taylor Davis, now a sophomore, came up the second half of the year, and should make for a solid one-two-three scoring trio for the Storm. This could be the year where UV turns the corner and moves past the .500 mark for the first time in several seasons. Corrine Izard, up from the junior varsity, adds quickness and strong defense to the mix. Backus said she has a basketball-smart group, and more depth than her previous years as head coach.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks