ATHERTON
- Coach: Nicki Dewitt (second year).
- Last season: 11-20, lost to Waggener, 58-55, in the 27th District Tournament semifinals.
- Player to watch: Sarah Overley. The 5-6 junior guard averaged a team-best 12.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season.
- Other top players: G/F Caitlyn Taylor (Jr.; 7.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg); F/C Hailey Stone (Jr.; 2.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg); F-C TaeciAnn White (5-9, So.; 2.6 rpg); G Paige Taylor (Fr.); G Lauren Burks (Fr.).
- Outlook: “We are in a tough Seventh Region and have a young team mixed with strong returners who are willing to step up to any challenge as a team and win,” Dewitt says. “There are many leaders throughout the team with a great mix of talents.”
SACRED HEART
- Coach: Donna Moir (26th year).
- Last season: 23-8, lost to Male, 63-62, in overtime in the Seventh Region semifinals.
- Player to watch: Grace Berger. The 5-11 junior guard, who recently committed to Indiana University, averaged 14.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg to earn first-team all-region honors and second-team all-state accolades last season.
- Other top players: G-F Kia Sivils (5-7, Jr.; 7.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg); G Kiki Samsel (5-4, Jr.; 12.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg); G Ashlee Harris (5-5, So.; 10.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg); G-F Natalie Fichter (5-9, Jr.; 7.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg); F Cierra Scott (5-10, Jr.; 3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg).
- Outlook: The Valkyries, the ‘14 region champs, lost post player Lydia Taylor to graduation but return pretty much everyone else from last season. “We have a lot of talent back,” Moir says. “We had a great summer and we’ve had a really good preseason.”
SENECA
- Coach: Latasha Peterson (sixth year).
- Last season: 2-25, lost to Sacred Heart, 75-5, in the 27th District Tournament semifinals.
- Player to watch: Dais’Ja Trotter. The sophomore wing averaged 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season.
- Other top players: G-F Ashanti Starks (Sr.; 3.4 ppg); G-F Jamia Brightwell (So.; 3.2 ppg); G-F Diamond Smith (Sr.; 2.5 ppg).
- Outlook: The Redhawks will be “a very young team this year with a lot of developing talent,” Peterson says. “This year we should shock some teams and make a little noise.” She is looking for big things from freshmen Sadaria Rucker, Asia Smith and Samantha Watkins, all of whom “play with heart and determination,” according to Peterson, who calls that trio “the missing pieces to a successful season.”
WAGGENER
- Coach: Nicole Ambrose (first year).
- Last season: 6-17, lost to Eastern, 92-19, in the first round of the Seventh Region Tournament.
- Player to watch: Ne’zja Elliot. The 5-6 junior guard averaged 9.3 points per game last season.
- Other top players: F Tiara Biermacher (6-1, Sr.); G T’yana Tolbert (5-6, Jr.); G-F La’sha Dunn (5-9, Jr.).
- Outlook: “Waggener is looking to rebuild after losing Seventh Region All-Tournament selection Davianna Ruff,” Ambrose says. “With a core of sophomores and juniors we will endure some growing pains early on, but hope to become Seventh Region contenders by the end of the season.”