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 team 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 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State special mention. Craig now is lacing up her sneakers at NCAA Division III Dubuque.

But while that loss is a lot to absorb, there is plenty left from last year’s team that went 18-10 overall, 10-4 in the TCC to make the young but somewhat experienced Crusaders a force to be reckoned with each night. The Cru open the season with a Falcon-Irish Thanksgiving Tournament game 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, already has shown she is a 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 who will be counted on for more scoring will be sophomore point guard Hunter Hopkins, who will be expanding her ballhandling skills to include more of her already solid perimeter shooting.

With them, returning to the starting rotation will be the team’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 team’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 such as 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, [and] we get our legs and the shooting routine down.”