Tyrone opens the season tonight at home against Punxsutawney, and new Tyrone girls head coach Mike Whitling, assistant coach Beth Parker, and the entire team are looking forward to making their mark on the Tyrone girls basketball program.
“I’m most excited about seeing how much progress we can make from now till the end of the season,” said senior Riley Corl.
Last year Tyrone posted a successful 12-9 record and finished second in the Mountain League. This year the girls will be in the newly expanded Laurel Highlands Conference, which should be even more competitive than the Mountian League.
To prepare, the girls have been working hard throughout the preseason. They traveled to Forest Hills on Saturday, November 25th for a multi-team scrimmage that included eight area teams.
“The scrimmage gave us an opportunity to see what we needed to work on and things that we are doing well. We gained valuable experience in this scrimmage against several different defenses,” Whitling said.
While the team is adjusting to a new head coach and JV coach, Whitling was a part of Rhoades’ staff for the past two seasons, so according to the players the transition has been a smooth one.
Senior Bree Paul said that she is happy with where the team is right now and is confident that they will improve as the season goes on.
“I think some of our strengths are that we are seeing the court better, and when we see an opportunity we’re not afraid to take it. However, as a whole I think our team needs to mesh together a little bit more, but it’s only the beginning,” said Paul.
The team will return most of its starters from last year’s squad, with the biggest loss being 1,000-scoring forward Kayelin Gibbons.
Paul and fellow senior Riley Corl are both starting guards and will provide the senior leadership for the team.
Also returning are 2022-23 letter winners Rylan Crowell and Alayna Woomer, and junior Alayna Greene will round out the Lady Eagles’ starting five.
Off the bench, freshman Brielle Parker, and sophomores Amariah Sprankle and Claire Lehman will provide depth and contribute on the varsity level.
“I think we have really been working hard in the practice gym, working on getting into the groove of a new offense and defense. We all are super excited for the season to start,” said Crowell.
Tip-off is at 6 pm for JV, and varsity begins at 7:30.
