North Olmsted's Mackenzie Lynes makes a strong move to the basket last Saturday night against Avon. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Girls tip off hoops season
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published Dec. 1, 2010

As the 2010-11 girls basketball season gets underway, both Magnificat and Rocky River are looking to build off last season’s successes and take the next step.

At Westlake, the Demons are looking to take the step abruptly denied last year.

After advancing to the Division I regional tournament the previous season, Westlake saw last year come to a halt at Medina. That’s when Kalpana Beach was lost for the tournament with an injury and the Demons finished at 17-5.

River, on the other hand, had its best season ever, winning its first Division II championship and advancing to the Elite eight before getting eliminated by Walsh Jesuit. Magnificat went on a late-season run and got all the way to the Division I district title game out at Valley Forge, losing to Brecksville.

Well, the Pirates and Blue Streaks return nearly their whole squads for this season. And Westlake, with a healthy Beach already signed at Ohio State, is looking to step back into contention as well.

Beach, a 6-1 senior forward, averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals last season. The future Buckeye also garnered first-team Southwestern Conference honors and made second-team All Ohio.

Also returning for head coach Chip Weiss is 6-0 junior forward Katie Carroll, a second team SWC selection who averaged 6.2 points and 5.7 rebounds last season. And with Magnificat transfer Rachael Trujillo and senior Kristie Prendergast at guard, the Demons have experience in the back court.

“Kalpana and Katie give us size, versatility and experience,” Weiss said. “Rachael is a smart player and is very solid on both offense and defense, while Kristie gives us experience at guard as well. Our goals are to win the SWC and get back to regionals this season.”

Magnificat returns nine players off of last year’s team as head coach Meghann Hubach begins her sixth season.

“Everybody is really excited for the season to begin,” Hubach admitted. “Our practices have been very intense and competitive. With last year’s experience, the girls have a better idea of what to expect. They’re ready to go.”

The Blue Streaks, one of the youngest teams in the area last year, have four seniors on this year’s squad. Returning are guards Emily Sterba, Christine Ferry and Maura Weir as well as post player Brigid Murray.

Magnificat senior Emily Sterba, shown here last season, is one of nine Blue Streaks returning for 2010-11. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

The team’s junior class is a strong one, featuring point guard Megan Barilla and the team’s leading 3-point shooter, junior Stephanie Haas. Haas had 16 treys last season. Also in that group is post player Maddie Barry, who averaged just under eight rebounds per game, and guard Paige Wise, who will be the team’s sixth man this season, according to Hubach.

“Like last year, we’re all kind of the same size out there,” Hubach said about her roster. “We’ll rely on our press and half-court defense to help get us into our transition game where we can take advantage of our athleticism and quickness.”

Rocky River has won four straight West Shore Conference championships and will be looking to make it five under first-year head coach Mike Sislowski.

“We’re entering this season with high hopes,” Sislowski said. “We only graduated two players from last year’s team, so the expectations are higher than ever. With the great balance of post and perimeter players we have, anything is possible for this season.”

One reason for all the optimism is the return of junior forward Hannah McCue. The 6-0 McCue averaged 17.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last season and is considered a solid Division I college prospect. She was the WSC Most Valuable Player as well as a first-team district and a special mention All-Ohio selection.

Senior forward Maeve Kessler returns after averaging seven points and four rebounds per game last year. In the backcourt, the Pirates bring back junior point guard Allyson Helleis and senior Emily Townsend. Helleis averaged just under five assists per game last season, while Townsend usually guarded the opponent’s best ball handler.

Senior Jane Swartz also returns as a backup guard, while junior forward Ciara Kessler will be counted on to provide both scoring and rebounding. Another junior, Katie McNally, will be counted on for additional scoring as well.

At rival Bay, the Rockets are in full rebuild mode with no returning starters from last year’s 13-9 team. Head coach Chris Brewer begins his eighth season with a group of mostly untested young players.

“We’re returning only three players with any varsity experience,” Brewer said. “We’ll have multiple freshmen playing varsity, even though none of them are ready for it yet. So we’ll be very young and very inexperienced.”

One player Brewer can build around is sophomore forward Taylor Seton. The 6-1 Seton played all 22 games as a freshman last year, averaging six point, four rebounds and nearly three blocks per game. She recorded 57 blocks for the year, just shy of the school record for a season.

Fairview goes into the season with a new head coach in veteran Bill Harvey, who spent six seasons as the head coach at Maple Heights. He’ll welcome five letter winners from last year’s team that finished 5-16 overall and 3-12 in the WSC.

“I think we have a chance to really turn things around,” Harvey said. “The girls are buying into the up-tempo game, so I think we can cause some problems. Each day we add new things, and I see them getting more confident.”

Returning for the Warriors are senior point guard Kayla Iwais (10 points per game), senior center Bri Finnerty (eight points, eight rebounds), junior guard Erin Wolansky, junior forward Morgan King (seven points, eight rebounds) and sophomore point guard Rosie Morrison.

Back in the SWC, North Olmsted is looking to rebuild as well under first-year head coach Cheryl Bansek, the former head coach at Admiral King.

“We’ve got a very, very young group,” said Bansek, who led the Admirals to a Division I district championship in 2008 and was Ohio Coach of the Year that season. “We’ve got great talent at the freshman level, and our sophomore class is loaded as well. I see us as a program on the rise, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Senior guard Brianna Wensik, junior point guard Erika Kabak and junior forward Megan Branchick will provide experience and serve as the team tri-captains this season, according to Bansek. A pair of sophomore guards, Tara Kelley and Haley Reines, will try to help the Eagles improve on last year’s seven-win season.

Olmsted Falls is looking to bounce back after a 3-18 season last year. Head coach Matt Fulton begins his fifth season as the leader of the Bulldogs.

“This year we’ll again be very young, plus we don’t have a lot of height,” Fulton said. “Most of our players are sophomores and juniors with very little varsity experience. We’ll probably take some lumps early in the season with hopes that we can get better throughout the year.”

Senior guards Kelly Clancey and Sarah Dischinger will provide some experience as their young teammates grow into varsity players.

Clancey averaged four points and two assists per game and will provide leadership for the team, Fulton said. She’ll move from the point guard spot to the off guard position this season. Dischinger had five points and three rebounds per game and is known for her defensive play. She’ll also make a move, manning a post position for the Bulldogs.

Newcomers expected to make an impact are juniors Amber Black, Amanda Abraham and Bridget mental as well as sophomores Mary Gorski, Julia Newhouse and Jaime Fossen.