Despite graduating eight players from last year’s team that finished 24-8 and captured a Class 3A regional championship, Ottawa head coach Brent Moore feels this year’s squad has more than enough talent to put together another solid season.

“The girls we have back know what it takes to win and are leading by example,” said Moore, now in his 11th season on the sidelines having posted a 169-116 career record. “I’ll need to figure out the rotation stuff with the new players we have, but I already know that this a group that is going to give it everything they have every minute of every game.

“It’s going to be a fun team to watch.”

The Pirates lost 2024 Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year Marlie Orlandi as well as key players in Skylar Dorsey, Ella Schmitz and Hailey Larsen to Pomp and Circumstance, but return Times All-Area third-team pick and now four-year varsity player Mary Stisser, a senior.

Stisser (6.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.9 spg) suffered an injury during the summer and missed almost all of volleyball season, but is back at 100% to start the hoops season.

“She’s been a varsity player for four years and is without a doubt the leader of this team,” Moore said. “A lot of the time she says what I’m going to say before I say it. She’s another coach on the floor.

“We’ll be asking for more production offensively from her as well as the continued defensive effort she’s shown the past three years.”

The other senior on the roster is Aubrey Sullivan, who didn’t play as a junior after playing as a freshman and sophomore.

“She’s really carving out a role for us,” Moore said. “She can shoot it pretty well, she can rebound, and she does all the little things, setting picks and such. She makes our team stronger. We’re glad she decided to come back and play for us.”

Moore says he’ll be looking for returning juniors Ashlynn Ganiere (3.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg) and Libby Muffler to take on added responsibility this season.

“Ashlynn came off the bench a lot as a sixth girl as really a point guard only, but she had a ton of minutes for us last season,” Moore said. “She is going to be expected to score a little more for us this year and will probably play more off the ball. She a player that can really get to the hoop.

“Libby was very solid at the junior varsity level for us last year, played limited minutes varsity, but had a great summer. She can really shoot it and has shown explosiveness off the dribble.”

Moore said sophomore Hailey Thrush has been very good in practice so far and is a vocal defender, while freshman Kennedy Kane will see big minutes at point guard.

“Her potential is through the roof,” Moore said of Kane. “She’s learning and adjusting to the varsity level speed of the game quickly.”

The roster will be rounded out by junior Katelyn Friestad, sophomores Lila Platt, Karsyn Moore, Georgia Kirkpatrick and Keelin Gross, and freshmen Jaelyn Forino and Olivia Falaney, with the underclassmen also logging minutes on the sophomore team.

“I’d say our defense will be our biggest strength,” Coach Moore said. “I feel like we are going to be just as athletic as we were last season – fast movement and fast paced. Right behind that would be on the offensive end and how we share the basketball. We have girls who know what spots they need to be on the floor, whether it be just the offense in general or in our sets. They also run their lanes well. Then we have girls that get the ball to teammates when they are open or making the extra pass.”

Ottawa is scheduled to open the 2025-26 season in the Bank of Pontiac Turkey Tip-Off Tournament’s Prairie Central Pool, facing Mahomet-Seymour, East Peoria and the host Hawks. The Pirates will have their home opener in Kingman Gym on Dec. 3 against Dixon.