Girls basketball: Tigresses aiming to put more ‘numbers’ on the wall

The Princeton girls basketball team had a breakout season a year ago.

It won the first conference championship in school history, going 11-1 in the Three Rivers East.

It won all of its home games during the regular season.

It finished the regular season with a brilliant 19-2 record in a season interrupted by COVID-19 pauses.

But it has a little unfinished business.

The Tigresses dropped their first game of the postseason in their own regional and would like to add “numbers” on the wall this year.

“I asked our girls in our preseason meeting just different team goals they had, and every single one wrote down regional championship. It’s been mentioned already, more numbers have to go on the board, and I don’t think the seniors will take anything less than that,” second-year coach Darcy Kepner said.

“The potential is surely there. Our seniors bring back a lot of talent and experience to the core. You can just tell they’re hungry and want another conference championship and even more with that regional. I think we can make a deep run with this group.”

There are five returning seniors who have been a part of two conference championships at the underclass level and last year’s title at the varsity level.

Olivia Gartin, a first-team all-conference pick, led the last year’s team in rebounding (7.3) and steals (4.3) while averaging 10.3 points and 2.1 assists. She will be looked upon for more scoring this year with the graduation of BCR Player of the Year McKenzie Hecht (11.2 ppg).

Senior point guard Mariah Hobson, who received honorable mention all-conference honors, dished out 2.4 assists a game to go along with 3.3 steals, 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Joining them for an encore performance are classmates Erin May, Gen Tirao and Isa Ibarra, who Kepner said has recovered from her season-ending ACL injury in January “better than I could have ever expected she would. I think she’s stronger than before he injury and ready to go.”

Kepner said it’s the seniors time to shine.

Junior Miyah Fox also brings back varsity experience, looking to step into a bigger role this season.

“Miyah has a motor that doesn’t stop, and she’s wiling to do all the dirty work and play defense and get rebounds. She’s a kid that doesn’t care if she’s starting or coming off the bench or scoring 20 points or one. She just wants to win,” Kepner said.

The Tigresses’ coach is excited with the underclass talent she is pulling up to the varsity — sophomore Olivia Mattingly and freshmen Keighley Davis and Camryn Driscoll, who took part in back-to-back undefeated conference championships at Logan Junior High.

“We have some young blood that are going to come up and fill some roles that we didn’t necessarily have last year and give us minutes where we need it,” Kepner said. “Camryn will handle the ball a lot for us this year. The talent she has as a shooter is so impressive, and she puts in the work; Keighley the same thing underneath. She’s going to get a lot of boards, and she runs the floor incredibly hard.

“They’re going to get a lot of minutes. Whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, I think they’re fine with either. They’re going to fill a big role for us.”

Rounding out the squad are juniors Savannah Hollars, Abby Ward and Olivia Giaquinto — who has recovered from a hip injury that has sidelined her the past year.

Kepner said the Tigresses should be well-balanced when it comes to scoring.

“Hecht’s going to be hard to replace, but I think Olivia Gartin is going to pick up a lot of that; really anybody, we have on the floor,” she said. “All the seniors can score when we need them to. Miyah Fox is going to give us good minutes and can score as well. I feel like we have plenty of options every night.”

The Tigresses will open the season in their own Holiday Tournament which runs from Nov. 14-19.