Girls basketball preview: Big loss to graduation creates big opportunities for Marquette

Almost every basketball program goes through a period of transition from one season to another, but the change for Marquette Academy’s girls hoops this winter is a big one … and it’s because of the graduation of one player.

Gone to Pomp and Circumstance is Lilly Craig, who led the team in virtually every category her senior season. She takes with her 18.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per contest, stats earning her first-team honors for The Times All-Area Team and the Tri-County Conference – both regular-season and tournament – and IBCA All-State special mention. Craig is now lacing up her sneakers up at NCAA Division III Dubuque.

But while that loss is a lot for the team to absorb, there is plenty left from last year’s 18-10, 10-4 in the TCC club to make the young but somewhat experienced Crusaders a force to reckoned with each night, starting with their Falcon-Irish Thanksgiving Tournament against Peoria Manual at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Flanagan.

“Not having Lilly for the first time in four years, that’s the thing that really sticks out,” Marquette coach Eric Price said. “We will miss her in so many ways – her leadership, her defense, her offense and especially her rebounding, something of a forgotten stat with her – but it’s one of those things that happens to every program.

“It’s going to take a little time, having so little practice ahead of the first game, to find where those points and rebounds will come from, but we have several girls who are ready to step up for us.”

One is sophomore Kaitlyn Davis, who after one year has already shown she is a very capable varsity player. As a freshman, Davis had as solid an all-around game as Craig, averaging 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.0 assists.

Another that will be counted on for more scoring will be sophomore point guard Hunter Hopkins, who will be expanding her ball-handling skills to include more of her already solid perimeter shooting.

With them, returning to the starting rotation will be the squad’s only seniors: tough-as-nails Chloe Larson, a good defender who is capable of big offensive efforts; and twins Keely and Morgan Nelson, a couple of tough defenders who can also hit a big shot when needed. In the post, the Cru will count on 5-10 sophomore Kelsey Cuchra, along with the club’s only junior, Madison Kozlowski.

Other contenders for the rotation will include three sophomores – Nevaeh Corcoran, Emily Ryan-Adair and Madisyn Trainor – and freshmen Lucy McGrath, Senya Mitre and Kinley Rick.

The lack of size will be more glaring against conference foes like Seneca, Midland and St. Bede, so the stressing of fundamentals and boxing-out was a staple of the early days of camp.

“We’re small height-wise, and we’re going to have to emphasize everybody rebounding,” Price said. “There may be some games where the lack of height might be more evident, but I feel we can make up for it in other areas. … I feel we will defend better than we have in years past, we’ll have more ball-handlers, and we’ll be deeper, so foul trouble and injuries shouldn’t hurt us as much game to game as they have.

“This will have to be a team effort, and I’m excited for this. There may be some nights early where we struggle a little offensively, but the points will come as the season goes on, we get our legs and the shooting routine down.”