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As the girls basketball season tips off this week, here are previews of teams from around the Record Newspapers coverage area.
Newark
Coach: Jasmine Mitchell.
Last season’s record: 18-12 overall, 5-1 Little Ten Conference.
Top returning players: Addison Ness, sr., G; Addison Long, sr., G; Olivia Smith, sr., F.
Top new players: Kate Bromeland, sr., C; LeAnn Monsess, so., G; Jade Mitchell, fr., F.
Worth noting: The Norsemen graduated a talented senior class, but coach Mitchell is hopeful for this rebuilding year.
“We have a lot of newcomers to the program and key pieces in the younger classes that I expect my leading seniors to forge ahead with,” Jasmine Mitchell said. “I still plan on being competitive in conference play and hope to finish no lower than last year.”
Oswego
Coach: Dave Lay (third year).
Last season’s record: 9-24, 1-15 Southwest Prairie Conference, won play-in game, lost in regional semifinal to Waubonsie Valley.
Returning starters: Kendall Grant, jr., C; Ashley Cook, jr., G; Ahlivia East, jr., F; Peyton Johnson, jr., F.
Other returning players: Maggie Voller, sr., G.
Top new players: Vanessa Huggins, jr., G; Alexis Fomby, so., G; Anna Rimington, so., G; Flora Tiotsop, sr., F.
Worth noting: Lay said the Panthers started slow last season and it took time for the group to get its feet wet and believe in itself. But their confidence grew as the year went on and carried over into the summer. Oswego brings back a good deal of varsity experience – four returning starters – and adds youth with potential. Grant averaged 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks. East averaged 7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists, Cook 4.4 points and 1.2 rebounds and Johnson 4.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.4 assists.
“We are looking to have a breakout year,” Lay said.
Oswego East
Coach: Abe Carretto
Last season’s record: 17-10, first place in Southwest Prairie Conference.
Top returning players: Maggie Lewandowski, sr., G; Desiree Merritt, jr., G; Aubrey Lamberti, jr., G; Ava Tyburski, sr., G; Emily Tran, sr., G; Jessica LeClaire, sr., G.
Top new players: Cassie VanMeter, sr., F; Nicole Warbinski, jr., G; Annabelle Williams, jr., G; Sam Herrick, jr., F; Lillie VanDyke, jr., F.
Worth noting: Lewandowski, last year’s Record Newspapers Player of the Year, is back for her fourth varsity season to lead a Wolves’ team coming off a conference championship. Lewandowski averaged 13 points per game as a junior. She forms a solid guard trio with Lamberti, who averaged 13 points as a sophomore, and Merritt, who averaged 9. VanMeter filled in well last season when Ava Valek was injured, and Warbinski came off the bench last season as Oswego East’s sixth player. Carretto expects more contributions from Tyburski, Tran, LeClaire and new juniors Williams, Herrick and VanDyke.
Parkview Christian
Coach: Kayla Linden.
Last season’s record: 24-5, first place in Illinois Christian Conference.
Top returning players: Ruth Oudyn, jr., F; Abigail Carlyle, so., C; Katelyn Linden, sr., F; Tessa New, fr., G; Elizabeth Bean, so., G; Alison Ocampo, so., G; Chilah Mackie, so., F.
Top new players: Chloe Corbett, jr., F; Avah St. Laurent, fr., G; Madi Farmer, fr., G.
Worth noting: It’s a new look at Parkview Christian as all-time leading scorer (boys or girls) Gracie Lambes has graduated. Lambes was a leader of Falcons’ teams that combined to post a 77-9 record over the last three seasons. Parkview last year took second at the Earlville Christmas Tournament, went undefeated in the Illinois Christian Conference, took second at the Midwest Christian Schools Championship and third at the National Christian Schools Athletic Association in Ohio. Oudyn and Carlyle, who averaged 3 points and 5 rebounds, are returning starters.
“This season will be a season of learning and growing together. We are very young but have a lot of talent,” coach Linden said. “It will take some time for the girls to learn each other’s playing style and gain confidence at the varsity level. We are going to be competitive for sure but have some learning to do. I anticipate a balanced team scoring effort and great team defense.”
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Plano
Coach: Tristan Spivey (third year).
Last season’s record: 15-17, 7-7 (fifth) Kishwaukee River Conference.
Returning starters: Josie Larson, sr., G; Sanai Young, sr., G; Irene Isitt, sr., F; Jadyn Long, jr., G; Chloe Rowe, so., F.
Other returning players: Nylah Mathews, sr., F; Luniah Gilford, sr., G; Alanna Roldan, jr., G; Cami Nunez, so., G.
Top new players: Jailyn Brown, fr., G.
Worth noting: Seven seniors return for the Reapers, a much more experienced team than last season, led by returning Kishwaukee River Conference Player of the Year Josie Larson. Only one senior graduated. Larson averaged 17.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and rewrote Plano’s record book, now the program record holder for points in a career, season and game. Young (6.3 points, 4.8 rebounds) was injured for most of last season, but Spivey said is one to look out for. Rowe comes off a freshman season in which she averaged 6 points and 8.8 rebounds. The Reapers have made gradual improvement year-to-year, from 3-28 to 10-22 in Spivey’s first season to 15-17 last year.
“This entire senior class has put in a lot of work with our coaching staff over the last three years, and they are motivated to try and earn the first winning season for our program since the 2018-19 season,” Spivey said. “We also have a talented group of underclassmen, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of leaders for them to learn from. Our coaches and players are excited to compete for a conference championship this season in the KRC, a conference that we believe will be competitive and feature several talented players.”
Sandwich
Coach: Steve Treptow.
Last season’s record: 6-26.
Returning starters: Hannah Treptow, sr., G; Kayden Corneils, jr., G; Bailey Frieders, jr., G; Allee Subat, sr., F.
Other returning players: Mia Geltz, sr., G.
Top newcomer: Alayla Harris, so., F.
Worth noting: Treptow starts his second season as Sandwich coach as the Indians look to be more competitive with most everyone back. His daughter Hannah, a fourth-year varsity starter and University of Dubuque commit, will again lead the team. The two-time all-conference pick averaged 11.5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals as a junior. “Hannah is an unbelievable player that stuffs the stat sheets and impacts the game in multiple ways besides scoring,” coach Treptow said. The senior leadership of Treptow, Subat and sixth player Geltz, the glue to the team, will be key to Sandwich’s success. Treptow expects Corneils (7.5 ppg) and Frieders (4 ppg) to impact the team with a year of varsity experience under their belts. Subat (3.5 ppg, 5 rpg), undersized at forward but high-energy and athletic, rounds out the starting lineup. Treptow expects the 6-foot Harris to help immensely on the defensive end after an impressive summer.
“Looking to be a lot more competitive this year,” Treptow said. “Going to play an up-tempo offense, trying to push the pace with an aggressive defense.”
Yorkville
Coach: Kim Wensits
Last season’s record: 22-10 overall, 13-3 Southwest Prairie Conference.
Top returning players: Brooke Spychalski, sr., G; Lainey Gussman, sr., G; Madi Spychalski, sr., F; Bella Phillips, sr., G; Macie Jones, jr., G; Sydney McCabe, jr., G; Johanna Pavlak, sr., G.
Worth noting: A ton of experience returns as the Spychalski twins and Gussman already boast three years of varsity experience, last season leading Yorkville to its most wins since the 2016-17 season. Brooke Spychalski, committed to Illinois-Springfield, averaged a team-high 16.9 points as a junior while dishing out 2.7 assists per game and shooting 82.7% on free throws. Gussman averaged 9 points and team-highs of 6.9 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and had 16 total charges taken. Madi Spychalski averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. The Foxes, second in the SPC West to Oswego East last season, have their sights set on a conference title with seven total players returning that saw significant minutes. Yorkville’s nonconference schedule includes a game Jan. 25 against Sycamore in the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Ind.
“We’re hoping the experience and addition of our junior class – Alayna Demas, Annabel West, Charlotte Chaloka and Elania Newman will be nice helping pieces to our returning group,” Wensits said.
Yorkville Christian
Coach: Jeff Schutt
Last season’s record: 11-15.
Top returning players: Danielle Bulson, sr.; Grace Allgood, sr.; Payton Wallin, jr.; Paige Gillman, jr.; Kyla Motley, jr.; Taylor Vugteveen, so.; Gabriella Allen-Thompson, so.;
Top new players: Ava DiQui, sr.; Mari Rodriquez, so.; Kaitlyn Froderman, fr.; Leah Isaak, fr.; Nia Hooper, fr.; Hannah Aguado, fr.
Worth noting: Bulson led the Mustangs in scoring, rebounding and assists last season and is 11 points away from hitting the 1,000-point career mark. Allgood is Yorkville Christian’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals and last season set a single-game 3-point record with nine made 3s. DiQui, new to the team, brings rebounding in addition to scoring. Wallin, in her first full season at Yorkville Christian, is a proficient scorer with a high basketball IQ. Gillman brings defensive toughness and an improved offensive skillset, and Motley added muscle in the weight room with an improved skillset. Vugteveen showed potential as a freshman playing on varsity and Rodriguez is a newcomer recruited from the Mustangs’ soccer team that brings defensive toughness.