Friday, November 23, 2001
Mid-Miami League South Division
Falcons' new coach has veteran players
1. Middletown Fenwick
• POLL POINTS: N/A (only one coach completed poll)
• COACH: Greg Augspurger (first season)
• LAST YEAR: 13-8 (9-4, 1st, MML South)
• KEY PLAYERS: F Julie Becker, G Ashley Smith
• OUTLOOK: Greg Augspurger couldn't ask for a more ideal situation in his first season as a varsity head coach. The Lady Falcons have six seniors and six juniors back from last season's league champions, plus they can count on an infusion of talent from a freshman team that went 18-1.
“We will have solid talent for the program this season,” Augspurger said.
Julie Becker, a 5-7 senior forward who led the team in rebounding last season, and 5-7 senior guard Ashley Smith lead the returning Lady Falcons. Ellen Stonecash, a 5-7 sophomore guard, is the top newcomer.
2. Lemon-Monroe
• POLL POINTS: N/A
• COACH: John Parks (second season, 5-16)
• LAST YEAR: 5-16 (2-11, MML South)
• KEY PLAYERS: F Jackie Truett, G Bethany Sherard
• OUTLOOK: After losing two starters last season for violating team rules, second-year coach John Parks is just hoping to keep everybody eligible, which should help avoid the kind of 12-game losing streak that destroyed the Hornets' dreams.
This year's hopes are centered around two juniors, 6-1 forward Jackie Truett and 5-10 point guard Bethany Sherard. Truett averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game last season. Sherard actually outrebounded Truett, averaging eight grabs per game while scoring 12 points and handing out six assists.
Also back on the front line is 5-8 senior forward Megan Morgan, who averaged eight points and six rebounds last season. Parks is hoping for a spark from 5-10 freshman forward Shelby Pettus.
3. Oxford Talawanda
• POLL POINTS: N/A
• COACH: Patty Reinknecht (third season, 15-28)
• LAST YEAR: 7-14 (5-8, 4th, MML South)
• KEY PLAYERS: G Sarah Keehner, F Hannah Pechan
• OUTLOOK: The youthful Lady Braves' roster includes just three seniors among its 12 players. One of them is the top returning player, 5-7 senior guard Sarah Keehner, who averaged six points and five rebounds per game last season.
Third-year coach Patty Reinknecht is hoping for quick development from a four-member corps of sophomores led by 6-foot forward-center Erica Hunt and 5-8 forward Hannah Pechan, a transfer from Ursuline.
Reinknecht also is hoping that Talawanda can learn to get over the hump. The Lady Braves suffered several losses by four points or fewer last season.
4. Franklin
• POLL POINTS: N/A
• COACH: Tom Benjamin (22nd season, 182-118)
• LAST YEAR: 11-10 (8-5 MML South)
• KEY PLAYERS: F Shannon Stewart, G Heather Miller
• OUTLOOK: The Wildcats got off to a fast start befitting the league-favorite last season, but they were betrayed by a sluggish finish during which
they lost eight of their last 11 games.
Long-time coach Tom Benjamin is hoping that the return of 5-11 senior forward Shannon Stewart could help Franklin sustain a solid start. Stewart did not play last season as a junior after averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per game as a sophomore. Improvement by 5-5 senior guard Heather Miller and 5-9 senior forward Saundra Lamb on their averages of five points per game each will help the Wildcats extend their streak of consecutive winning seasons to five.
“We have good height, good quickness and experienced starters,” Benjamin said. “We lack shooting, lack strength, lack aggressiveness, lack shooters, and we have a lack of depth.”
5. West Carrollton
No information was provided by the school.
6. Trenton Edgewood
No information was provided by the school.
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Mid-Miami League South Division
