RETURNING BBC POY … Stryker senior Sage Woolace lines up a triple in a game last season at North Central. Woolace, who was the Player of the Year in the BBC last year, leads a group of five returning letterwinners for the Panthers. (PHOTO BY RICH HARDING, STAFF)
By: Nate Calvin
The BBC appears to be wide open entering the season with three-time league champion Montpelier looking to replace 85% of their scoring last season.
The Stryker Panthers figure to be in the mix as they welcome back five letterwinners, including last year’s BBC Player of the Year in Sage Woolace (17.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg).
Here are the previews for each team in order of their finish in the BBC last season.
1. Montpelier (Last season: 19-4, 7-0 BBC; Lost in Division III sectional semifinals to Liberty Center 60-40)
HEAD COACH: Mike Bumb (4th season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Ariel Page (13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Chelsea McCord (10.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Trinity Richmire (9.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Senior – Mandy Taylor (2.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Junior – Meara McGee (1.3 ppg), Sophomores – Kelsie Bumb (3.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg); Jada Uribes (7.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
NEWCOMERS: Sophomore – Aleigha Hillard
STRENGTHS: Two returning starters (Bumb, Uribes) and one other returner (Taylor) with varsity experience; talented younger classes; team speed
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We have been fortunate enough to win the conference the last three years.”
“So, we always have high expectations, but we recognize that we graduated two 3-year starters and one 4-year starter from an 19-4 team. This accounted for 85% of our offensive production.”
“However, we like the parts we have coming back. We will be young and somewhat inexperienced, but we feel we will continue to improve and be tough to beat as the season goes on.”
“We have great, high, character kids from good families. I know they will give their best and do everything we ask of them.”
“I want this team to find their own identity. I do not want to compare them to past players but rather highlight what their value is to the team.”
“We are excited that we will be in Division IV this year.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “In the BBC, I think Hilltop and Stryker will be the frontrunners to win the conference.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – Hilltop (H); BBC Opener: December 16 – Fayette (H)
2. Hilltop (Last Season: 15-8, 6-1 BBC; Lost in Division IV sectional semifinal to Ottoville 50-45 (OT)
HEAD COACH: Troy Grime (5th season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Lana Baker (4.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Leanna Baker (8.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg); Kacy Connolly (5.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg); Alex Horton (4.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg); Jozlyn Jones (2.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Kiera Wiley (1.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Seniors – Jayma Bailey (7.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg); Mia Hancock (5.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg); Sophomore – Libbie Baker (13.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
NEWCOMERS: Junior – Shealyn Brown; Sophomore – Elena VanArsdalen; Freshman – Kenley Routt, Molly Dickinson
STRENGTHS: “Even with six seniors graduating, we return three letterwinners that saw significant playing time last season. Their leadership will be an asset to the team.”
“This is a hard-working group of young ladies that want to maintain the overall success that the program has experienced over the past couple seasons.”
WEAKNESSES: “We must create depth due to the loss of the senior class from last season. Those seniors did a lot of the little things that don not show up in the stats.”
“It is a big jump in competition for the younger girls, but the coaching staff has a great deal of confidence in them. It will be fun to watch their growth.”
SEASON OUTLOOK: “Patience from everyone as we go through our “growing pains” this season will be required.”
“I’m excited to see the improvement from November to February as the newcomers gain experience and confidence at the varsity level.”
“We do have a challenging nonconference schedule that will prepare us for our BBC games the second half of the season.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “We have a lot of respect for all the teams and coaches in the BBC. I expect those programs that felt they had a down season last year to be vastly improved as they were young and inexperienced.”
“Because of that, our league should be very balanced and competitive this year.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – Montpelier (A); BBC Opener: December 16 – Pettisville (H)
3. North Central (Last Season: 11-10, 5-2 BBC; Lost in Division IV sectional semifinals to Stryker 37-21)
HEAD COACH: Kim Hutchison (2nd season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Kendal Bonney (7.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg); Madison Brown (16.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg); Lauren Balser (6.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Seniors – Isabelle Burnett (4.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg); Makinzy King (3.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg); Juniors – Darbi Stewart (2.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg); Grecia Dominguez (0.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
NEWCOMERS: Junior – Mireya Cruz; Sophomores – Amara Wright, Maddie Zimmerman; Freshman – Cailyn Meyers, Addie Turner
STRENGTHS: “We return four players from last year’s team who saw significant playing time throughout the season and at one time or another were in the starting lineup.”
“We look to our returning experience as a strength, as well as our depth for this year.”
WEAKNESSES: “Lack of varsity experience off the bench will be a challenge for this season.”
“However, the younger players are working very hard in practice and will be depended upon to contribute at the varsity level.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “There should be strong parity and competitiveness in the BBC from top to bottom.”
“Montpelier, Hilltop and Stryker look to be the favorites. We hope to improve upon our third-place finish from last year and make a trip to districts.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – Edon (H); BBC Opener: December 16 – Stryker (A)
4. Holgate (Last Season: 10-14, 4-3 BBC; Lost in Division IV sectional finals to Leipsic 44-22)
HEAD COACH: Scott Giesige (6th Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Justine Eis (12.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg); Carissa Meyer (5.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Seniors – Jordan Altman (3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg); Olivia Blaker (5.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg); Lexa Schuller (5.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Paisley Wilhelm (1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg); Madison Clark (2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg); Juniors – Miriam Bower (2.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
NEWCOMERS: Sophomores-Isabelle Blaker, Mya Tijerina
STRENGTHS: “Some of our strengths will be our defense, depth, & our experience for this upcoming season.”
“Our length, size and versatility will help us create some mismatches we hope to take advantage of offensively.”
“We look to be able to pressure our opponents end to end for 32 minutes if necessary thanks to our depth.”
“This should end up being the deepest varsity bench we have had since I took over as head coach.”
WEAKNESSES: “Our biggest weaknesses will be turnovers and consistent scoring.”
“Last year we improved over the year before but still struggled at times averaging about 17 turnovers a game.”
“We need to limit our turnovers against full court pressure that result in easy baskets for our opponents.”
“Secondly, we must find consistent scoring from our starters and our bench.”
“We lost nearly 18 points a game due to graduation and will be looking to all our players to step up their scoring.
SEASON OUTLOOK: “With six returning letter-winners we are looking to be improved over last year’s 10-win season.”
“For us to be successful and reach our team goals we must keep improving offensively.”
“We have shown great progress both defensively and offensively by how we played at the end of last season and over this past summer.”
“This season we will be led by our top two returning scorers and rebounders, seniors Olivia Blaker and Lexa Schuller.”
“Our overall team success will be dependent on how consistent we become offensively and if we can get balanced point production.”
“It will need to be a team effort offensively and we look for others to help. They are seniors Jordyn Altman, Madison Clark, and Paisley Wilhelm along with junior Miriam Bower.”
“We also have a couple of other players looking to make an impact, help with scoring, and add more depth off our bench.”
“They are sophomores Isabelle Blaker and Mya Tijerina both of whom got some varsity experience last season.
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “This year in the BBC there doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite as there has been in the past.”
“Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop and Edon lost a lot of players to graduation. Stryker is probably the early favorite returning Player of the Year in Sage Woolace along with good experience.”
“Hilltop still has a solid core with some experience returning. We should be able to compete night in night out with our experienced group coming back.”
“Wouldn’t count Montpelier out even with the losses they had to graduation. Look for Pettisville, Edon, and Fayette to be improved over last season with North Central looking to rebuild after losing Madison Brown and the rest of the senior class they just lost.”
“This should be an interesting, competitive, and exciting year for girls’ basketball in the BBC.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – Edgerton (H); BBC Opener: December 16 – Edon (H)
5. Stryker (Last Season: 11-13, 3-4 BBC; Lost in Division IV sectional finals to Hicksville 48-42)
HEAD COACH: Conner Varner (3rd season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Marissa Meyers (1.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Haylee Fulk (8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Seniors – Sage Woolace (17.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg); Gabrielle Ramon (3.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), Lexi Wickerham(6.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Kaitlyn Myers; Junior – Emma Fulk (4.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
NEWCOMERS: Juniors – Adysen Andres; Laura Leupp; Taylore Rethmel
STRENGTHS: “We are quick and can run the floor. Defense is something we always pride ourselves on, and I think that will be a strong suit for us this year.”
“We also have five returning letterwinners, so we will have a handful of experienced of girls on varsity.
WEAKNESSES: “Physically, we lack height. We are strong, but not very tall. We also have low numbers, so the lack of subs would be a weakness.
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We have a great group of returning letterwinners who are ready to lead their team.”
“We also have a great group of freshmen who are eager to play and learn. I think we have a great opportunity to improve from start to finish this year, and to get further in the league/tournaments than we have before.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – Stryker (H); BBC Opener: December 16 – Hilltop (A)
6. Edon (6-17, 2-5 BBC; Lost in Division IV sectional semifinals to Antwerp 38-33)
HEAD COACH: Caela Walker (6th season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Allison Kaylor, Ashley Kaylor, Breanna Heinze, Carlie Kiess, Kerrin Towers, Natalie Spackman, Olivia Mitchell
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Emma Hickman, Jaycea Craven, Maddison Gearig, Natalie Wofford
NEWCOMERS: “We have quite a few young kids this season who are catching on and finding their rhythm.”
STRENGTHS: team chemistry
WEAKNESSES: perimeter shooting, size; “We need to continue to improve on knocking down shots from the outside.”
“When we match up against teams with some height/length, it can be challenging for us on both sides of the ball.”
SEASON OUTLOOK: “Looking forward to a competitive season both league and non-league play.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – North Central (A); BBC Opener: December 16 – Holgate (A)
7. Pettisville (Last Season 3-20, 1-6 BBC; Lost in Division IV sectional semifinals to Lincolnview 48-34)
HEAD COACH: Jason Waldvogel (25th season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Meleah Plank
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Seniors – Alli King (4.5 ppg), Ellie Grieser (9.0 ppg), Leah Beck (4.4 ppg), Bella Strauss; Juniors – Grace Crawford (4.0 ppg), Hollyn Klopfenstein (3.0 ppg), Amanda Grimm (5.5 ppg)
NEWCOMERS: Juniors – Lily Wiemken, Morgan Blosser; Sophomore – Olivia Miller
STRENGTHS: “We have a group that is willing to put the hard work in and play for the TEAM.”
“Our numbers are good with a decent amount of varsity experience. The team is balanced in most aspects of the game.”
WEAKNESSES: “Rebounding is something we look to improve upon while understanding the different situations of the game.”
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We want to compete each night while putting ourselves in a situation come out on top each night.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “We think the league will be fairly balanced and hope to compete towards the top.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 18 – Stryker (A); BBC Opener: December 16 -North Central (H)
8. Fayette (Last Season: 1-21, 0-7 BBC); Lost in Division IV sectional semifinals to Edgerton 51-20)
HEAD COACH: Ryan Colegrove (9th season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Emma Leininger (3.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Gracee Bingman (4.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg); Jada Reinking (1.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Brooke Vanderveer (1.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Alicyn Brown (1.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg); Kaitlyn Sepp
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Senior-Hanah Kovar (1.0 ppg); Juniors-Nevaeh Powers (5.2 ppg; 2.2 rpg); Demi Storrs (2.2 ppg); Sophomores-Kenadie Ramay, Emerson Sinks
NEWCOMERS: Sophomores-Zoie Brown, Erika Fetterman; Freshmen-Willow Mitchell, Mesa Gorsuch, Kelsie Storrs, Kayla Sliwinski, Addison Schang
STRENGTHS: attitude, effort, very coachable
WEAKNESSES: numbers (only 12 girls in high school program), lack of experience, scoring
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We will have to find scoring threats since all returning players averaged less than 10 points combined.”
“Our younger girls will bring some aggressiveness, that will make everybody better.”
“If we progress as hoped, we could be competitive with a lot of the teams on our schedule.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “The league in general should be balanced. Some of the top teams from last year lost some major players.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: Season Opener: November 19 – Ayersville (H); BBC Opener: December 16 – Montpelier (A)
Nate can be reached at sports@thevillagereporter.com