With the 2025-26 girls basketball season starting across the state, here’s a look at the seasons ahead for teams across The Times coverage area.

Editor’s note: Season previews for Marquette, Ottawa and Streator’s girls basketball teams appeared in separate articles.

Serena Huskers

Coach: Jim Jobst (8th season)

Last season: 24-8 overall, 7-0 Little Ten

Top returners: Kendall Whiteaker, F, sr.; Finley Jobst, G, jr.; Anna Hjerpe, G/F, jr.; Brynley Glade, G, jr.

Top newcomers: Alexa McNally, F, jr.; Parker Twait, F, so.; Thea Solbakken, F, jr.; Sage Mahler, G, jr.; Emily Hoffman, F, jr.

Worth noting: The Huskers have captured the last five Little Ten championships and haven’t lost a regular-season LTC contest since early in the 2019-20 season. Whiteaker (6.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg) is the lone starter back from last winter’s conference champs and expected to lead on and off the floor, though the Huskers did use a deep bench last season and bring back a handful of others with meaningful varsity experience, most notably Hjerpe, Glade and Finley Jobst. “We are a very quick team and also very deep,” Coach Jobst said. “I think we will be very balanced scoring, with all the girls capable of having big nights. ... This is a hardworking group who gets along very well. I have enjoyed coaching them so far.” Serena opens in Somonauk’s Tim Humes Breakout.

Earlville Red Raiders

Coach: Brandon Skolek (7th season)

Last season: 9-22 overall, 3-4 Little Ten

Top returners: Addie Scherer, jr.; Bailey Miller, sr.; Jacey Helgesen, jr.; Audrey Scherer, so.

Top newcomers: Kyley Helgesen, jr.; Rylee Collins, so.; Samantha Knauf, jr.

Worth noting: There’s reason to believe last season’s growing pains will lead to this season’s successes for junior-heavy Earlville, which carries into the season goals of competing in every game, finishing toward the top of the Little Ten Conference and, when it’s all said and done, finishing with a winning record. “The group of juniors we have this year have been playing varsity minutes since they were freshmen. I think that will help us, as we feel like an experienced team entering the year,” Skolek said. “We are also in the second year of playing man-to-man defense. It has been nice to hit the ground running with that, [and] we are also a very strong rebounding team.” Miller and Addie Scherer (5.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg last winter) are expected to lead the Red Raiders, who open the season this week with a home-and-home against Mooseheart.

Somonauk/Leland Bobcats

Coach: Jason Zaleski (4th season)

Last season: 13-18 overall, 5-2 Little Ten

Top returners: Abby Hohmann, PG, sr.; Kiley Mason, G, sr.; Macey Kinney, G/F, sr.; Ashley McCoy, G, so.; Aubrey Chiavario, G/F, sr.; Leah Norris, C, sr.

Top newcomers: Salena Norris, C, so.; MacKenna McMahan, F, fr.; Alexa Larson, G, fr.; Ella Roberts, G, fr.

Worth noting: If it feels as if the Bobcats program has been building – or rebuilding – for something, this season might be it. “We will have more seniors on the floor this year than the last three years combined,” Zaleski said. “The leadership from Abby Hohmann (8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 spg, 2.7 apg, All-LTC and Times All-Area third team in 2024-25), Kiley Mason (11.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, All-LTC and Times All-Area honorable mention), Macey Kinney (4.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.1 apg) and Aubrey Chiavario (started all 31 games) has been very noticeable in practice. They continue to show our younger core what is expected from them as a Bobcat and make sure everyone is focused on the team goals.” Zaleski believes his rotation can reasonably run 11 deep and plans to use that depth to harass opponents into playing at the Bobcats’ preferred tempo. “We believe we can force most of our opponents to adapt to us and make them play out of their comfort zone,” he said, citing team goals such as Little Ten Conference regular-season and tournament championships and breaking the program record for wins (25 in 1994-95).

Newark Norsemen

Coach: Jasmine Mitchell (3rd season)

Last season: 3-25 overall, 2-5 Little Ten

Top returner: Jade Mitchell, F, so.

Worth noting: Two years removed from an 18-win season, the Norsemen will be looking to turn things around after a down 2024-25 for a young squad. Seniors on this year’s roster include Reagan Thompson, Nita Starkey, Sadie Pottinger and Saki Matsuyama, with Malia Maddox the program’s lone junior. The Norsemen, who open the season in Somonauk’s Tim Humes Breakout, expect to field only a varsity team this season with 11 players program-wide.

Seneca Fighting Irish

Coach: Josh Myers (3rd season)

Last season: 25-9 overall, 11-3 Tri-County, 2A regional champions

Top returners: Tessa Krull, sr.; Camryn Stecken, sr.; Graysen Provance, jr.; Emma Mino, jr.

Top newcomers: Elsa Douglas, jr.; Marlie Lissy, fr.; Kylee Rowley, so.; Gracie Smith, jr.; Piper Stenzel, jr.; Vivienne Crockrite, jr.; Brynlee Hunt, so.

Worth noting: The Fighting Irish relied on defense to score a 25-win season and a regional title last winter, and the recipe appears to be the same following the graduation of last year’s leading scorer, Alyssa Zellers. Provance earned Times All-Area honorable mention after averaging 6.3 points per game and, along with Krull, Mino (injured to start the season) and Stecken, should provide leadership for an otherwise young roster. Twenty-plus wins and postseason hardware are, again, the goals, and look attainable for a talented and proven group. “We have some good players coming back from last year’s team and some good players coming in from last year’s JV team,” Myers said. “We had a great summer, and we will be getting better every game we take the floor. ... Looking forward to getting the season started.”

Dwight Trojans

Coach: Max Sulzberger (4th season)

Last season: 20-13 overall, 6-8 Tri-County

Top returners: Mikayla Chambers, G, jr.; Ryan Bean, C, sr.; Sophie Buck, sr.; Makayla Wahl, sr.

Top newcomers: Olivia Buck, G, so.; Cloe Gall, F, jr.; Addy Sulzberger, G/F, jr.

Worth noting: This year’s four seniors take the leadership reins from last year’s three Dwight 12th-graders. The Trojans have been a program on the rise, and that seems as if it can continue this winter as the Trojans return a trio of three-year starters (Wahl, Buck and All-TCC/honorable mention all-stater Chambers) plus a fourth-year starter (Bean, also All-TCC). A deep bench and lofty goals are also strengths. “We expect to compete for the conference championship and have a strong postseason run,” Sulzberger said. “The past two years we have inched closer to both, but have gotten beaten by more experienced/older teams. Our girls have trained hard in the offseason and are ready for this season.”

FCW Falcons

Coach: Danielle Pollitt (8th season)

Last season: 12-21 overall, 1-11 Heart of Illinois, 1A regional champions

Top returners: Kora Edens, G/F, sr.; Ava Price, G, so.; Emma Palaschak, G, jr.

Top newcomers: Jaylei Leininger, G, sr.

Worth noting: Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland suffered a couple of big losses in the offseason with the graduation of program all-time leading scorer Ella Derossett and a season-ending injury to returning starting wing Aubry Edens (5.1 ppg, 5 rpg last season). That said, Pollitt’s goals for her Falcons remain the same – navigating a tough schedule while improving and putting themselves in position to be ready for another postseason run. Kora Edens, Price and Palaschak (12.2 ppg, 2.7 apg in 2024-25) will be leaned upon to lead. Asked for goals, Pollitt said, “to not sell themselves short due to our small numbers. We would like our girls to strive for 15-plus wins this season to improve from last season.” FCW opens hosting its own pool of the Falcon-Irish Thanksgiving Tournament.

Fieldcrest Knights

Coach: Jacob Durdan (1st season)

Last season: 16-15 overall, 7-6 Heart of Illinois

Top returners: Macy Gochanour, G, sr.; Pru Mangan, F, sr.; Ava Gott, G/F, sr.; TeriLynn Timmerman, G, jr.

Top newcomers: Morgan Harlan, F, jr.; Ivory Bryant, G, fr.; Kaitlyn Palm, G, so.

Worth noting: Durdan moves a handful of miles southwest from Streator to Minonk to take over a Knights program that has posted 13 consecutive winning campaigns but barely kept that streak going last winter. A roster full of proven scorers – led by Gochanour (21.0 ppg, 2.4 apg, 2.4 spg), Timmerman (13.5 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.5 spg) and Mangan (12.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.9 spg) – hints that these Knights will have no trouble putting up points. Stopping opponents could be the X-factor for a team that has high expectations bolstered by the fact Fieldcrest will be sliding down to Class 1A come the postseason. “The girls have some lofty goals,” Durdan said. “A regional championship is in the cards. Their goal is 20 wins and to be at the top of the HOIC.”

Sandwich Indians

Coach: Ray Napientek (1st season)

Last season: 15-17 overall, 6-8 Kishwaukee River

Top returners: Bailey Freiders, G, sr.; Alyla Harris, F, jr.; Khloe White, G, so.; Kayden Corneils, G, sr.; Alivia Kellogg, F, jr.; Mikaela LeaTra, F, jr.

Top newcomers: Isla Stevens, G, jr.; Coraline Stevens, G, fr.; Kendal Petre, G, so., Kyra Johnson, F, so.; Baiely Brummel, G, so.

Worth noting: New head coach Ray Napientek, who coached at Romeoville while in college, has some quality pieces to work with as he takes over an Indians program that flirted with a .500 record last winter. Harris was a Times All-Area Team honoree after averaging 8.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest. Corneils (8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.3 spg) and Freiders are also leaders and will guide what Napientek believes will be a strong guard unit. The plan of attack may sound familiar to Indians fans who remember the program’s successful run in the late 2010s. “Going to trust our defense to win games,” Napientek said. “We are not deep in numbers, but I trust we can run a bunch off the bench and still compete at a high level. ... Once we value every possession, we can be tough to beat.”