Girls basketball: Kennedy Hartwig expected to lead the way for Seneca

There are a number of teams around the area that force opposing coaches to use extra practice time devoted to finding a way to deal with the extended defense pressure they are going to face.

The Seneca girls basketball team has been and will again this season be one of those squads.

Under second-year coach Brian Holman, the Fighting Irish finished last season 22-12 overall and won the Tri-County Conference regular season with a 10-2 mark. Seneca reached a Class 2A regional championship game, but fell to Fieldcrest, which eventually finished fourth in the state finals.

Seneca’s roster will feature seven seniors, three juniors and six sophomores. The Irish lost seven players to graduation, including TCC second-team selection Emma Smith, who averaged 6.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.

“We have a relatively young group this season, but many of them were able to get varsity experience last season,” Holman said. “I feel like we have a lot of quickness again throughout the roster, which we hope to use to our advantage. We changed up alignment-wise our full-court defense last season, and the girls, I thought, did a good job of adjusting to that.

“One thing I’m hoping to see is us improve in our half-court defense, and I think we have the talent to reach that goal.”

The Irish return one of the area’s top returning players, senior guard Kennedy Hartwig. As a junior, the sharpshooting Hartwig averaged 15.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.8 assists and earned a unanimous Tri-County All-Conference first-team spot, as well as Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A Special Mention honors.

“Kennedy is one of those special players,” Holman said. “She is a tireless worker and always trying to make herself into a better player. I know she put in a lot of time in the offseason, and I’m excited to see what she can do on the floor this year.

“I think I take it for granted at times that she is going to consistently give us 15-20 points a night, but that’s the type of player see is. She also does an excellent job of getting others involved on the offensive end, and we’ll need that to continue for us to have success.

“One key for us will be for one or two other players to step up into those secondary scoring roles. If we can get that to happen, it will be harder for our opponents to just key on Kennedy. Another key, like it is in every season for every team, will be playing four solid quarters on the defensive end each time out.”

The Irish will also expect contributions from seniors Caitlyn O’Boyle (F), Neely Hougas (F), Cassia Buchanan (G), Jessica Bertrang (F), Callee Bauer (F) and Paige Baudino (G); juniors Jolena Odum (G/F), Faith Baker (C) and Lauren Cronkrite (G); and sophomores Alyssa Zellers (G), Lainie Olson (G/F), Evelyn O’Connor (G), Ella Sterling (F/C), Clara Bruno (F) and Audry McNabb (F/C).

“I’m really looking forward to what this team can accomplish this year,” Holman said. “I feel like we have all the pieces to the puzzle as far as the potential to compete again for a conference and regional championship, but it will be a matter of how all those pieces fall into place as the season moves along.”

Seneca will open the season hosting one portion of the Irish-Falcon Thanksgiving Tournament and play Herscher on Monday, Hall on Tuesday and Serena on Thursday in pool play, then an opponent from the Flanagan-Cornell pool on Saturday.