Fieldcrest girls return 4 starters, look for another successful season

The Fieldcrest girls basketball teams have been tough to beat over the past couple seasons, finishing 11-2 last season and 28-5 with a postseason plaque in the 2019-20 campaign. They hope to keep that trend going heading into the 2021-22 slate.

The Knights and seventh-year head coach Mitch Neally bring back four starters and a wealth of experience and talent all throughout the roster.

“We were so happy to get to play some games last spring, because we knew we had a super young team,” said Neally, whose club lost to Eureka in overtime to fall a game short of sharing the league’s title, finishing 9-2. “We lost one starter and senior — Laura Jaquet — but the experience the returning players got in the spring was big for us. Going into [last season], we were coming off back-to-back regional championships and had set a school record for wins (28) in a season. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can say they truly exceeded even my expectations on the court.

“Yes, we bring back a lot of key players, but it will be how did they improve in the offseason? Pretty soon, winter will show what we’ve been up to in the offseason. If we can put all of our talents together, I think we will be a tough team.”

Senior three-year starter Ella Goodrich (9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.1 spg, HM All-Heart of Illinois Conference) is a workhorse with long arms, according to Neally, and has started to develop herself both inside the paint and out.

Juniors Ashlyn May (12.8 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.1 spg, 4 rpg, First Team All-HOIC, The Times and NewsTribune First Teams, NewsTribune Player of the Year, AP 1A/2A HM All-State, IBCA 2A All-State Special Mention), Haley Carver (13.2 ppg, 2.4 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 spg, 41 3-pointers, Second Team All-HOIC) and Carolyn Megow (6.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, HM All-Defensive HOIC) are the other returning starters.

Neally said May is “a very unselfish player that can drive to the hoop, dish it off, grab boards, can shoot it, an all-around great player,” Carver is “one of the best shooters in the HOIC”, while Megow is “matched up with every opponent’s best player.”

Rounding out the roster will be senior Delaila Gimed, juniors Cami Mangan, Abby Harris and Bella Tomlinson, sophomores Kaitlin White (6.3 ppg) “one of the first players off the bench last season and a good shooter”, Aliah Celis, Ava Marty, Clare Phillips and Vada Timmerman, as well as freshmen Keara Barisch, Myah Burns, Jessica Schultz and Emily Tooley.

Sophomore Riley Burton, who would have more than likely been a fifth starter or sixth girl off the bench, is expected to miss the entire season after tearing her ACL during summer,

Neally feels the HOIC is one of the toughest small-school conferences in the state, one that prepares teams well when the postseason rolls around. He said being successful in both the league and overall will start with rebounding.

“We are not a tall team, and I don’t think I’ve had anyone over 5-10 since I took over the program, but we will hopefully make up for that with heart and toughness,” said Neally. “Rebounding, like it has been in the past, will have to be a group effort. We want to push the ball up the floor, play fast and play solid defense, but rebounding will be a big key for both of those aspects. We want to attack teams on both ends of the floor.”

Fieldcrest opens Monday, Nov. 15, at the Integrated Seeds Classic hosted by Flanagan-Cornell High School, playing Dwight before contests against Marquette and the host Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland Falcons. The Knights open conference play hosting Heyworth on Nov. 29.