The Lady Eagles open the 2018-2019 season this Saturday in Bellwood at 3pm.  The girls have set two big goals for themselves for the upcoming season, to play solid defense and compete for a district title.

“We have improved tremendously and have been working extremely hard to gain power on defense,” said junior Lindsay Fusco.

This year’s squad should be a good mix of returning starters and new faces. 

Returning lettermen include Sydney Shaw, Reilly Ronan, Lindsay Fusco, Kelsey Johnson, and Shannon Shaw. There is also a big group of newcomers, including six freshman that are very talented and will hopefully bring a lot to the table.

According to Head Coach Lucas Rhoades, senior leadership and team depth should be a strength this year.

“We have Brooke Welsh who came back out and we will look for big things from her.  We also have a nice group of freshman that we will hope can contribute,” said coach Rhoades.

Winning the Mountain League, winning the district championship and making a run in states are just some of the big goals the team has set to achieve this season.

Smaller goals include holding teams between 35 and 40 points per game and having a winning season by winning at least 20 games. There are also a few personal goals some players hope to achieve.

When asked about her personal goals are this season, senior Sydney Shaw responded, “Reach my 1000th point, and to do my best every single game to help us win.”

Coach Rhoades likes to say that every game is a big game, but there are nevertheless a couple of games that the Lady Eagles have circled on their schedule and will need to beat in order to compete for a Mountain League and district title.

“Some of the big games on the schedule this season are Bellwood, Penns Valley, Juniata Valley, and Central,” said freshman Stephanie Ramsey.

In recent years, the Lady Eagles have met up with both Penns Valley and Central in the playoffs to fight for a spot at districts, including last year when they fell just short to Penns Valley 55-50 and beat Central in OT 42-41 in the district consolation game.

The Lady Eagles hope to use a different style of play this year, utilizing their quickness and athleticism to play every game with everything they’ve got.

“I feel like we are small and quick which can be a good thing or a bad thing. I feel like we are a very well rounded team and many can play in different positions which allows us to have a pretty deep bench,” said senior Reilly Ronan, “We are going to have to play hard and be able to execute our offense to out score teams.”  

Even if the Lady Eagles fall short of some of their goals, they are a close-knit group and will make sure to always play to the best of their ability.

“No matter how many wins or loses we have this season we will always play as a team,” said freshman Emma Getz.

They also hope to have a big crowd at their games and to have the community come out and support them win or lose.

“I encourage everyone to come and support the lady eagles this year and keep up with our scores. We have some tough opponents that we have picked up and we have been working hard to make it back to that District game and hopefully bring the medal and banner home this year,” says Ronan.