Girls hoops ready for new year
RICH FOWLER PHOTO
South Ripley sophomore Claire Samples (left) and Milan’s Emma Voss (right) are both key returning starters for both of their teams.
Two brand new head coaches will roam the sidelines this winter and a slew of talent is back inside the coverage area as the girls high school basketball season is set to begin this weekend.
Teams across the state have competed in one preseason scrimmage and the regular season schedule is now set to run over the next couple of months.
It will be quite the change not to see two former head coaches this season as longtime varsity head man Scott Smith has exited at Jac-Cen-Del as has his former assistant and former South Ripley head coach Matt McNew. In their places now stand Lilly Simon and Brad Goldsberry who were hired for those respective positions in the offseason.
Simon’s first year at the helm of the Lady Eagles sees her team ranked No. 5 in the Class A preseason polls but she will have to rely heavily on a trio of returners to lead the rest of a roster that is inexperienced at the varsity level. Senior Kelsey Borgman is back after averaging 9.9 points and 2.3 assists per game as is Sophia Sullivan at six points and three rebounds per night. The trio is rounded out by Cheyenne Cullen who appeared in 26 of 27 games for a Jac-Cen-Del team that finished as regional runner-up. Juniors Brooklyn Simon and Lanie Narwold will add to the mix.
Jac-Cen-Del opens its season on Friday night at Class 3A No. 1 Greensburg.
Goldsberry will have several weapons at his disposal in Versailles which includes two returning starters plus the addition of an All-ORVC selection. Claire Samples averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds as a freshman and will be back for her sophomore campaign. Lexi Franklin, a senior, also tossed in 8.7 points and 5.9 boards while the Lady Raiders also welcomed in former Milan standout Kaiya Rinear, a junior who last season posted double-double averages of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Aubrey Werner, Emily Parks and Ellie Combs round out returners and should see expanded roles at the varsity level.
South Ripley, who finished 14-9 last year, is at Class 2A No. 5 Austin on Friday for its season opener.
Two neighboring schools feel they are in for big years as Batesville and Oldenburg Academy add to our list of those with championship expectations this year. Especially Oldenburg who sits at No. 20 in Class A entering a new campaign.
Head coach David Disbro won 19 games last season in his first year at Oldenburg and names like Rachel Suttman and Gina Grote are back as a senior and sophomore respectively to lead a program that should be bringing back plenty of support and newcomers from a successful junior varsity program. No varsity roster has officially been supplied but many familiar with the program are in high hopes that the Lady Twisters will be a top contender for their first sectional title in 18 years.
As for Batesville, head coach Mitchell Taylor is hoping that senior Allyson Peters (10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) returns from an offseason injury sooner rather than later but in the meantime the blue and white should be just fine. The Lady Bulldogs return all but one player from last year’s 16-win squad that was Class 3A sectional runner-up. Sophie Gesell and her near 10 points per game are back as is classmate Marlee Obermeyer at seven points a night. Then there’s a slew of sophomore talent with one year of high school experience under their belt. Sydney Campbell, Nora Wiedeman, Madelyn Haskamp and Kaylin Kathman make this a very dangerous Lady Bulldog group.
Batesville opens with a big test this evening, taking on Class 2A No. 12 Triton Central at home. Oldenburg Academy is on the road tonight facing Greenwood Christian.
Milan rounds out the coverage area and will try to build on last season’s 4-19 mark. But head coach Karisa Voss will have to fill the void of Rinear making the move to South Ripley. Luckily for the black and gold, set to come back is the rest of the 2023-2024 roster which includes junior Emma Voss and her 11.5 points per game along with other solid numbers across the board. Tryniti Reed will see a boost in her role, so will names like Anna Herzog, Kendall Budd and Alex Getz. This will be the most veteran squad the Lady Indians have had in quite some time.
The Lady Indians are home tonight, taking on Union County.
