Pioneer Press previews the area girls basketball teams in the Metro Suburban Conference ahead of the 2016-17 season.
Elmwood Park
Coach: Kelly Guilde
2015-16 record: 6-22 (3-7 Metro Suburban), lost to Antioch in a Class 3A regional semifinal.
Backcourt: Senior Analise Hernandez, the starter at point guard last year and the Tigers’ leader, enters her third year on the varsity. The guard-oriented Tigers have a host of small and quick guards, with junior Samantha Garcia, the top scorer from last season, and Tershawna Coleman, Maresa Wynd and Isabella Chacon all slated to be contributors. “Maresa will take some pressure off of Analise, and we have some guards and depth that I’m excited about,” Guilde said.
Frontcourt: At 5-foot-8, Kersten Brayton is the Tigers’ tallest player by two full inches. The sophomore joins Dagmara Nowik to form the tandem slated to handle the work inside. “We have not had much size and always been small,” Guilde said. “With Kersten, we will have some inside scoring, and Dagmara gave us good minutes and an offensive presence last year.”
Did you know: The Tigers have a roster full of juniors. Eight of the 11 varsity players are in the class of 2018. “We have a lot of juniors, which is good because we will have a lot of returners,” Guilde said. “I’m excited to see what we can do offensively with the juniors we have coming up.”
Guerin
Coach: Karl Frixen
2015-16 record: 5-22 (0-13 Metro Suburban), lost to Christ the King in Class 2A regional semifinal
Backcourt: The Gators bring plenty of experience on offense and defense, led by senior point guard Liliana Rangel, whom Frixen called the heart of the team. Helping out is junior shooting guard Jahnari Byrdlong, a transfer from Montini. Frixen described her as an all-around player. “(Byrdlong is) a good jump shooter and a physical scorer, good passer and good ballhandling skills,” he said.
Frontcourt: There is more experience in the frontcourt with senior forward Brandi Gagnon and junior forward Kiara Stallworth expected to work the glass. They also combined for more than 15 points a game last year and will be expected to improve on last season. They will be joined by junior center Daphne Turner, who transferred from Westmont. “She has a good touch around the basket and is a good shot blocker,” Frixen said of Turner.
Did you know: The Gators’ record, particularly in conference play, doesn’t quite measure how close Guerin was in many of its games. Frixen expects the team, which lost a handful of very close games, to improve in the 2016-17 campaign. “We were very young last year, and the girls were learning a lot on the fly,” he said. “At times last year, the game was too fast for some girls, but this year things should slow down and clear up for them.”
More Top Picks Best Reading Glasses For Sewing
IC Catholic
Coach: Kelsey James
2015-16 record: 12-18 (3-9 Metro Suburban), lost to Fenwick in Class 3A regional final
Backcourt: The Knights start the season with any coach’s first wish: an experienced point guard. Junior Sophie Zanoni (5-foot-5) returns to run the offense, and she was the Knights’ second-leading rebounder last year. “She goes 100 percent of the time, and is the head of our defense,” coach Kelsey James said. Zanoni is joined in the backcourt by junior Claire Gibler, a 5-10 shooting guard who can play the post when James goes with a smaller lineup.
Frontcourt: IC Catholic will be inexperienced and thin down low. Senior Tess Reardon, coming off her volleyball season, will contribute scoring from the wing. One potential post player is Katie Hendricks. A 5-10 senior, she returns after not playing in 2015-16. “(Hendricks) is the one who can get the easy points on put backs. A great asset,” James said.
Did you know: This past summer, the Knights opened up their summer camp and league to all levels, including incoming freshmen. “Our team motto is ‘we are a family,’ and it was a great opportunity for our seniors to get to know our freshman and our system,” James said.
Ridgewood
Coach: Amanda Timothy
2015-16 record: 10-17 (5-9 Metro Suburban), lost to St. Viator in Class 3A regional semifinal
Backcourt: Point guard Katherine Rasche, a senior, is expected to be the one who distributes the ball on offense. Instead of the Rebels relying on one or two players to score a significant portion of the team’s points like years past, Timothy said that four or five players could average 10 or less points per game this season. “(It) makes our offense very difficult to defend because you just don’t know who is going to be the threat with the basketball because all of them are expected to share the scoring equally,” Timothy said.
Frontcourt: Junior Amanda Burns and senior Jessica Lipski are expected to take another step after serving as role players last season. Burns spent the majority of time on the JV level, but Timothy said she is a rising player in the Metro Suburban conference. “She put a ton of time in,” Timothy said. “And she’s a left-handed post player that has a nice little bag of tricks, we’ll call it. She has a good hook shot, a good up and under, a nice drop step. She’s going to be tough to defend.”
Did you know: In late June, Ridgewood traveled to Purdue to participate in the Boilermakers’ team camp. They competed against teams from Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and Illinois. Timothy said it was a good way to get a different experience and build camaraderie with her team.
Timothy Christian
Coach: Michele Strube
2015-16 record: 13-15 (8-4 Metro Suburban), lost to Christ the King in Class 2A regional final
Backcourt: Timothy Christian enters the season with a luxury. It has a three-year starter at point guard in Allison Zeilstra. The 5-foot-4 captain enters her senior season fully healthy after being slowed in 2015-16 recovering from a knee injury. “Right now it’s night and day from last year. She’s in shape and not worried about her knee,” coach Michele Strube said. Zeilstra’s backcourt partner is senior Olivia Hoekstra, who is a solid defender.
Frontcourt: The Trojans have multiple 6-footers in the frontcourt. One is senior Ava Venema (6-2), who steps off the volleyball court to play basketball for the first time since her freshman year. “She’s aggressive and strong and rebounds like crazy,” Strube said. Juniors Emily DeBoer (6-2) and Olivia Schuringa (6-0) add depth.
Did you know: This year’s Trojans are certainly a family affair. Michele Strube’s husband is an assistant coach. And daughter Jordyn Strube is a varsity guard. Jonny Strube, Jordyn’s brother, is a senior on the boys team. “We enjoy basketball,” Michele Strube said.
Bob Narang, Chris Vavra, Jon J. Kerr and Matthew Paras are freelance reporters for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press