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DePue
Coach: Gilbert Moreno (third season)
Last season’s record: 1-10
Top returning players: Azucena Villagomez, sr.; Amy Munzo, sr.; Lupita Hurtado, jr.; Emily Marquez, jr.; Veronica Fritzgerald, so.
Top new players: Lizbeth Paz, so.
Worth noting: The Little Giants were 1-10 last season and 1-23 over the past two seasons. Moreno said the team’s strengths are their “quickness and desire.” … Moreno said the team’s goals this season are to “start quick” and improve its shooting percentage from last season. … The Little Giants have 10 players with three seniors, a pair of juniors, four sophomores and one freshman.
– Kevin Chlum
Earlville
Coach: Brandon Skolek (second season)
Last season’s record: 3-6, 3-4 Little Ten
Top returning players: Elizabeth Browder, sr., F; Madyson Olson, so., G; Alexis Olson, sr., F; Emma Benson, sr., G
Top new players: Nevaeh Sansone, so., F
Worth noting: The Red Raiders return a strong nucleus in Browder (11 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals a game), Madyson Olson (8.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2 spg), Alexis Olson (7.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.3 spg) and Benson (4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.1 spg), while Skolek is excited for the addition of Sansone, a transfer. “We will be returning the vast majority of our team from last year, and with the addition of Sansone, we look to have a successful, winning year,” Skolek said. “We also have some girls who had small roles last year ready to step up. Our goal is to compete at the top of the conference.” … Skolek expects defense to be Earlville’s strength. “We are a very strong defensive team that stems from our entire lineup being defensive minded,” Skolek said. “We want to make teams earn their baskets by playing sound defense. A strength of our team last year was rebounding. We are led by our two seniors, Browder and Alexis Olson, who set the tone on the boards. If we can match great defensive play and rebounding with the offense Browder and the Olsons provide, we should be in good shape.”
– Kevin Chlum
Henry-Senachwine
Coach: Erik Greenwood (third season)
Last season’s record: 4-5, 4-5 Tri-County
Top returning players: Torie Courtway, sr., G; Nakeita Kessling, sr., G; Hope Self, sr., G; Tandyn Van Etten, sr., F; Mikayla Frawley, jr., G; Laney Lester, jr., F
Top new players: Dapheney Kessling, so., F; Kaitlin Anderson, fr., F; Bella Gaspardo, fr., C; Lauren Harbison, fr., G; Tori Swansen, fr., G
Worth noting: Nakeita Kessling, an All-Tri-County player over her first three seasons, leads the returnees with 10.5 points and 4 steals a game. Also back is the versatile Self and Van Etten, a tough rebounder who was All-TCC as a sophomore. Helping the latter in the post will be Lester, of whom Greenwood said, “if she has a good year for us, we can be a pretty good team,” while the solid-shooting Frawley fills the fifth spot. Dapheney Kessling and the freshmen Harbison and Anderson will see plenty of action off the bench. “We’re hoping to be competitive in every game, to not be an easy out,” Greenwood said. “We’re going to guard people and we have a little bit of depth. The question for us is whether or not we can score.”
– Charlie Ellerbrock