Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

2008-09 girls basketball: Many metro-east teams in transition

Several schools adapt to loss of top players

The Highland Bulldogs begin the 2008-09 girls basketball season in a transition period.

One of the most successful Southern Illinois teams the past three seasons, Highland won 29 games a year ago, second most in the metro-east to Edwardsville (31), and advanced to the Class 3A Supersectional, where it lost to Quincy Notre Dame.

But for Elledge and the Bulldogs, a new year means a new look --a very new look -- as Highland tries to replace Stephanie Harris, Hilliary Held and Kayla Knuf from its Mississippi Valley Conference championship squad.

"We're going to have a different look. We're going to be a little more of a transition team, press a little more and get up and down the floor," Elledge said. "We lost about 3,000 points to go along with a lot of size and experience. You don't replace that.

"The good news is that we've got seven seniors back who have a good understanding of our offense and who can cut and go to the basket."

Leading the way for Highland this season will be seniors Casey Junge (8.5 points per game), Jamie Kloss (5.3 ppg) Katie Hempen (5 ppg) Kristy Frey (4.6 ppg) and Maddy Michael (3.5 ppg).

"Those kids all got valuable playing time last year, and they are anxious to get going and hopefully have a good season," Elledge said. "We may have a little trouble guarding big post players, and there are a couple of good ones in our league in Jennifer Conway (Waterloo) and Renee (Rheinecker) of Triad."

Edwardsville

Highly-successful coach Lori Blade looks to keep the Tigers among the elite in St. Louis-area girls hoops despite losing a pair of Division I recruits to graduation.

Edwardsville, which finished 31-3 and reached the Class 4A Supersectional before losing to Chicago Marist, heads into the season without 6-2 all-stater Anya Covington and 5-10 Eryn Stepherson.

Covington is playing at Wisconsin, while Stepherson is at SIU-Carbondale.

But the basketball cupboard at Edwardsville is never bare. Back to lead the Tigers are 5-10 senior Megan Sharpe and 5-7 sharpshooter Jessica McConnell.

One of the metro-east's most gifted athletes, Sharpe is a tenacious defender who averaged 9.2 points a game, grabbed 100 rebounds and had 63 steals a year ago.

McConnell and super-quick 5-5 Kalia Lahai-Pumagoi should be solid players in the backcourt. McConnell averaged 4.4 points and does a good job of handling the basketball, while Lahai-Pumagoi (3.2 ppg) also should improve offensively.

Athletic senior Charvonne Long (5-7) also should be a key for Edwardsville, as well as sophomore Mary O'Keefe. The sturdy 6-0 O'Keefe showed signs of promise several times a year ago and will be a key in the post.

Collinsville

The Kahoks lost four starters, including one of the top players in recent metro-east history in Michelle Bartsch, from a team that won 20 games and was among the area's best a year ago.

The good news is that the one returnee, 6-1 senior and SIUE recruit Raven Berry, is perhaps the top post player in the area.

"The four seniors we lost were a huge part of this basketball program, but if you're going to start, having Raven Berry back is a good way," Kahoks coach Steve McFall said. "She's going to finish with more than 1,000 rebounds in her career. If teams are going to go through us, they will have to start with her."

Unfortunately for McFall, Berry (13 points, nine rebounds per game) is the only player returning with a lot of varsity experience.

Senior Brooke McNamara was a key on the Kahoks' junior-varsity team a year ago, while athletic Shantay Hibbler must and will improve on her four-point average of a year ago.

Cassie Bluemner (2.8 ppg) also saw limited playing time last season.

East St. Louis

A new era in Flyerettes basketball begins on two fronts as East St. Louis opens with a new coach in Hubert Butler and without perhaps the best player in the state a year ago in Teandrea Smith.

Butler, the Flyerettes' head volleyball coach for several years, takes over the reigns from Charles McDonald, who retired from coaching and teaching at the end of the 2007-08 school year.

Among the Flyerettes' top returnees should be sophomore Tiarra Snow and junior Tameka Watkins. Senior Ashley Browning also is a solid player.

O'Fallon

If there is a darkhorse in the Southwestern Conference, it could be the Panthers. Coach Ryan Massey has an athletic and tall team that showed improvement late last season.

"I'm really looking forward to the season," Massey said. "These girls have worked extremely hard in the offseason, and I think we've got a chance to surprise some people. We've added a little depth, and the girls played well in our summer tournaments and in our open gyms."

The Panthers return one of the top guards in the Southwestern Conference in junior Allly Fore and a much improved Stephanie Copelin.

Jamila "JJ" Williams, is an athletic 6-2 sophomore transfer from Northwest Academy in St. Louis.

Mater Dei

The Knights will be one of the youngest teams in the metro-east and also potentially one of the best as veteran coach Dave Kohnen returns several key players from a 16-12 team.

The Knights, however, may not hit their stride until after the holidays as several players expected to help also are members of the volleyball squad that placed third in the Class 3A State Tournament on Saturday.

"For some of them, their first day of practice was on Monday, and we open on Wednesday," Kohnen said. "But we're used to getting a late start. We're going to be young with three sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup.

"But we had a real good summer and played well. It's going to take time, but I think we can be a pretty good basketball team."

Kohnen will rely heavily on two of those sophomores. Kaley Boeckmann (5-11) averaged 4.5 points a year ago and is a solid defender inside, while 5-8 Alexa Becker is a deadly perimeter shooter.

Becker, who averaged 4.6 points a year ago, made 17 of 50 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Contact reporter Dean Criddle at 239-2665 or dcriddle@bnd.com.