Basketball Preview: Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs - SHL
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Though the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs only replace two players from one season ago, they are replacing a lot of talent and are looking toward a new group of seniors to lead the way as they want to advance out of the sectional round this coming February.
LC will have four seniors this year, including four-year varsity starter Laney Lewis and three-year varsity player Emma Setty, but the Lady Mustangs and second-year head coach Whitney Lewis must make up for the loss of departing player Brooke Hertlein (the team's leading scorer one year ago with 353 points, 16 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game) and Karen Hilt (third in scoring at 6.5 ppg and a 58.8 free-throw shooting percentage), who each left due to graduation.
"We lost two girls from last year, but they were very important to our team," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "Both contributed in more ways than one. Brooke was our leading scorer, and her points, along with Karen's points, will have to be replaced by someone, but right now I just don't know where."
As for the entire program, LC has 21 players, compared to recent numbers between 15 to 17 players.
"Having the higher numbers makes it great for practice," Lewis said. "We can go up and down more and break it down more than we usually are able to. We should have good numbers for the next couple years from what I'm looking at in our junior high program."
Laney Lewis returns for her final season as the leading scorer and go-to player for LC as she averaged 13.4 ppg in 22 games last season, along with 10.7 rpg and 3.1 blocks per game. Lewis also averaged four steals per game and shot 39.5 percent from the field.
Lewis, a senior, made 113 field goals one year ago, with 295 points and a team-leading 235 rebounds, 87 steals, 68 blocked shots and 62 assists.
Setty, who is second on the team in terms of returning scoring, totaled 137 points (6.2 ppg), along with 54 rebounds, 33 steals and seven blocked shots.[[In-content Ad]]
As this season begins, Lewis expects her team to continue the tradition at LC, which is play a tough style of basketball.
"The kids that are here must step up and play to their ability," Lewis said. "We have sophomores, and we'll have the seniors to give us the leadership we need. Laney will have to fill the role vacated by Brooke, and Emma will have to step up her play for us to be successful, and these girls can do that."
As LC heads into this year, all they have to do is look back to last season as they began the year 1-3, but for the remainder of the season finished 14-2 in their final 16 games with a six-game winning streak and seven-game winning streak, including a win over state-ranked Georgetown.
"Last year, we were up and down," Lewis said. "We had a couple winning streaks, so we are looking to build off that. We still have a bitter taste in our mouth from the tournament loss last season. That, by far, wasn't our best game last season, so we are looking to build off that and the momentum we had last year with the wins we had.
"As far as the league, I don't know a lot about the other teams, but I know it will be competitive like always."
With all the winning streaks, LC ended the year 16-6 overall with a Southern Hills League finish of 9-4. LC won six of seven non-league games and had a postseason mark of 1-1.
As for this being Lewis' second season as head coach of the varsity program, she spoke about the differences of year one and two.
"I don't know if there is a difference … this is a whole new group," Lewis said. "Last year was a different group, even though we lost only two players. This group, we have to play on our strengths, and it's a little bit different.
"We're not as big as last year, but we are going to be pretty quick this year, so we'll have to use that to our advantage. Is there a difference in the way we prepare? No, we'll still going to go out there and play hard like we always do."
As for the rest of the varsity team, seniors will also include Ginny Gadzinski and Ryleigh Jackson, along with juniors Sarah Rosselott and Sarah Spidel; sophomores Brittany Allen, Madysyn Creighton, Morgan Fittro and Shelby Stewart; and freshmen Ali Little and Madison Wills.
Gadzinski played in 10 games last year as a junior, while Creighton played in 22 games with 58 points and 31 rebounds in a limited role. Rosselott played in 18 games last year, and Fittro played in all 22 games with 41 points scores and 26 steals.
"We want to bring a high intensity level to our practices," Lewis said. "The girls who played varsity last year know what it takes to get to the level we need to be successful."
LC will have four seniors this year, including four-year varsity starter Laney Lewis and three-year varsity player Emma Setty, but the Lady Mustangs and second-year head coach Whitney Lewis must make up for the loss of departing player Brooke Hertlein (the team's leading scorer one year ago with 353 points, 16 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game) and Karen Hilt (third in scoring at 6.5 ppg and a 58.8 free-throw shooting percentage), who each left due to graduation.
"We lost two girls from last year, but they were very important to our team," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "Both contributed in more ways than one. Brooke was our leading scorer, and her points, along with Karen's points, will have to be replaced by someone, but right now I just don't know where."
As for the entire program, LC has 21 players, compared to recent numbers between 15 to 17 players.
"Having the higher numbers makes it great for practice," Lewis said. "We can go up and down more and break it down more than we usually are able to. We should have good numbers for the next couple years from what I'm looking at in our junior high program."
Laney Lewis returns for her final season as the leading scorer and go-to player for LC as she averaged 13.4 ppg in 22 games last season, along with 10.7 rpg and 3.1 blocks per game. Lewis also averaged four steals per game and shot 39.5 percent from the field.
Lewis, a senior, made 113 field goals one year ago, with 295 points and a team-leading 235 rebounds, 87 steals, 68 blocked shots and 62 assists.
Setty, who is second on the team in terms of returning scoring, totaled 137 points (6.2 ppg), along with 54 rebounds, 33 steals and seven blocked shots.[[In-content Ad]]
As this season begins, Lewis expects her team to continue the tradition at LC, which is play a tough style of basketball.
"The kids that are here must step up and play to their ability," Lewis said. "We have sophomores, and we'll have the seniors to give us the leadership we need. Laney will have to fill the role vacated by Brooke, and Emma will have to step up her play for us to be successful, and these girls can do that."
As LC heads into this year, all they have to do is look back to last season as they began the year 1-3, but for the remainder of the season finished 14-2 in their final 16 games with a six-game winning streak and seven-game winning streak, including a win over state-ranked Georgetown.
"Last year, we were up and down," Lewis said. "We had a couple winning streaks, so we are looking to build off that. We still have a bitter taste in our mouth from the tournament loss last season. That, by far, wasn't our best game last season, so we are looking to build off that and the momentum we had last year with the wins we had.
"As far as the league, I don't know a lot about the other teams, but I know it will be competitive like always."
With all the winning streaks, LC ended the year 16-6 overall with a Southern Hills League finish of 9-4. LC won six of seven non-league games and had a postseason mark of 1-1.
As for this being Lewis' second season as head coach of the varsity program, she spoke about the differences of year one and two.
"I don't know if there is a difference … this is a whole new group," Lewis said. "Last year was a different group, even though we lost only two players. This group, we have to play on our strengths, and it's a little bit different.
"We're not as big as last year, but we are going to be pretty quick this year, so we'll have to use that to our advantage. Is there a difference in the way we prepare? No, we'll still going to go out there and play hard like we always do."
As for the rest of the varsity team, seniors will also include Ginny Gadzinski and Ryleigh Jackson, along with juniors Sarah Rosselott and Sarah Spidel; sophomores Brittany Allen, Madysyn Creighton, Morgan Fittro and Shelby Stewart; and freshmen Ali Little and Madison Wills.
Gadzinski played in 10 games last year as a junior, while Creighton played in 22 games with 58 points and 31 rebounds in a limited role. Rosselott played in 18 games last year, and Fittro played in all 22 games with 41 points scores and 26 steals.
"We want to bring a high intensity level to our practices," Lewis said. "The girls who played varsity last year know what it takes to get to the level we need to be successful."