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The girls basketball season tips off this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Kane County Chronicle coverage area.
Batavia
Coach: Kevin Jensen (12th season)
Last season’s record: 21-12
Top returners: Brooke Carlson, sr., G, 5-7; Kylee Gehrt, sr., G, 5-9; Addi Lowe, sr., G, 5-7
Key newcomers: Julia Arulandu, jr., G, 5-5; Hallie Crane, jr., F, 5-9; Kaidyn King, jr., G, 5-6
Worth noting: Batavia is firmly in the conversation for among the top three teams in the DuKane Conference. After consecutive regional championships, Batavia is loaded again. Brooke Carlson, a Colorado State commit and the reigning Chronicle Player of the Year, is back for her fourth season. Carlson averaged nearly 20 points per game and was the DuKane Conference Player of the Year as well. The lineup has a lot of shooting and athleticism with Carlson, Kylee Gehrt and Addi Lowe. Addie Prewitt is a great defender and the Bulldogs will have a nice rotation.
Burlington Central
Coach: Mike Carani (first season)
Last season’s record: 22-11, 12-6 FVC (tied for third)
Top returners: Emma Payton, sr., C; Jordyn Charles, so., G; Emersyn Fry, sr., G; Savannah Scheuer, sr., G-F; Mia Hansen, sr., C
Key newcomers: Audrey LaFleur, fr., G; Ashley Waslo, so., G
Worth noting: Carani takes over for Collin Kalamatas, who resigned after four seasons. Kalamatas, who led the Rockets to an 87-28 record, is now the boys varsity coach at Huntley. Central defeated Boylan 42-32 in the Class 3A Burlington Central Regional to capture its third straight regional title. Payton averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and is committed to NCAA Division-III Trine University (Ind.). Central graduated its top two scorers in Page Erickson (13.4 ppg) and Sam Origel (10.2 ppg). Charles and Fry saw significant minutes last year. LaFleur will be a key player as a freshman, Carani said. “I expect our team to consistently play unselfishly, together and compete,” Carani said. “We have a very close-knit group that has put in a significant amount of work to prepare for this season.”
– Alex Kantecki
Geneva
Coach: Sarah Meadows (13th season)
Last season’s record: 31-4
Top returners: Leah Palmer, sr., F, 5-11; Caroline Madden, sr., G, 5-7; Kinsey Gracey, G, 5-6
Key newcomers (increased playing time): Bridget Hecker, jr., F, 5-9; Perri Sweeney, G, jr., 5-7
Worth noting: Last year’s team finished third in Class 4A. While Cassidy Arni and Lauren Slagle graduated from that phenomenal front court, Leah Palmer is still back as the top scoring option and leader of this team. Rilee Hasegawa is another key loss from last year’s lineup, but Caroline Madden and Kinsey Gracey will stabilize the guard position. Madden, in particular, is an exceptional on-ball defender and provides toughness. Geneva ran through the DuKane Conference undefeated last year, and while it remains to be seen how the rotation will fully settle, the Vikings will be jockeying for top position again this year.
Kaneland
Head coach: Brian Claesson (second season)
Last season: 15-17, 8-6 Interstate 8 Conference (third), lost in regional final to Sycamore
Top returners: Kendra Brown, jr., G; Lexi Schueler, sr., G; Sam Kerry, jr., G/F; Berlyn Ruh, sr., F; Emily Kunzer, sr., F
Top newcomers: Kyra Lilly, so., G; Amani Meeks, fr., G
Worth noting: Kaneland had an up-and-down season last year, losing many close games. Six of Kaneland’s 17 losses from last year were by three points or fewer. Claesson hopes that some of those bounces will go the Knights’ way after his team gets more acquainted with his philosophies.
“Last year was the first year in the new system, and now we have that foundation set, which allows us to add new wrinkles into what we did last year,” Claesson said. “We had a great offseason. It was great to see the team bond through the summer and into the fall. It is a fun group to be around. We have seen a lot of individual growth over the offseason, and now it’s our job to mix individual growths into our team structure.”
Claesson also thinks that his team is more athletic and deeper this season.
“We are not the biggest team, but we are going to use our speed to our advantage,” Claesson said. “It is a great group of girls that are extremely smart. We know teams are going to focus on [Brown] and [Schueler], but we feel like we have a lot of depth that will surprise some teams.
– John Gallione
Rosary
Coach: Ken Ubertino (first season)
Last season’s record: 6-25
Top returners: Ellie Figueras, sr., G, 5-6; Tes Ketterman, sr., G, 5-10; Megan Molenhouse, sr., G, 5-8; Erin Murray, sr., F, 5-8
Key newcomers: Karyna Brohl, jr., G, 5-6; Maddie Stumm, jr., F/G, 5-10; Peyton Saltijeral, sr., G, 5-7
Worth noting: Rosary will be led by its four seniors and its defensive-minded team approach. With lots of positional versatility and athleticism, Rosary will be able to throw different combinations and sets at teams.
St. Charles East
Coach: Katie Claussner (first season)
Last season’s record: 10-19
Top returners: Lexi DiOrio, sr., G, 5-6; Alexis Maridis, sr., G, 5-2; Corrine Reed, jr., G
Key newcomers (expanded roles): Addie Schilb, jr., G 5-7
Worth noting: Claussner is in her first season as varsity head coach. The 2015 St. Charles East graduate, Claussner takes over the bench from Josh Foster. The Saints are really solid at guard. DiOrio, the IU-Kokomo commit, is back for her fourth season and plays an all-around strong game. Maridis missed a lot of time last season, but should bring a lot of balance at point guard. Reed also will build on a strong season and brings great shooting ability to the floor.
St. Charles North
Coach: Mike Tomczak (eighth season)
Last season’s record: 26-7
Top returners: Katrina Stack, sr., F, 6-3; Reagan Sipla, sr., G/F, 6-1; Laney Stark, sr., G, 5-7
Key newcomers (expanded roles): Elle Fuhr, so. F, 6-0; Hannah Ganser, jr., G, 5-8; Mia Hoppes, sr., G, 5-7
Worth noting: Alyssa Hughes and Julia Larson’s graduations from last year’s backcourt are huge considering their respective shooting and defense. However, Stark, Stack and Sipla are back in their spots from last season and will carry over their team growth from last year. Stark’s defense will be key with Stack and Sipla, a Quinnipiac University commit, ideally getting inside offensive looks to take advantage of their shooting and size. Fuhr brought energy and defense last year, while Hoppes should bring some shooting help.