The B-A Lady Devils are looking to continue their success on the court. The girls finished last season 15-11 ultimately losing in the first round of state playoffs. The lady devils will feature a mix of experience and youth.
The team is returning many of its starters and role players. Leigha Clapper, Lilly Gerwert, Jenna Norton, and Marissa Cacciotti are all back this season. The lady devils have also added freshman Karlie Sweigert and senior Addy Turek, both of whom are expected to make an immediate impact.
The girls will turn to Lilly Gerwert on offense. Gerwert led the team with 13.8 points per game. She also picked up 233 rebounds a season ago.
“Our mindset going into the season is to work hard, support each other, and give our best effort. Last year nobody expected us to do what we accomplished because of the conference we moved to, but we proved ourselves. Now, we have to keep that high expectation and push ourselves to be even better,” Gerwert stated.
Leigha Clapper was second on the team in points and assists from the point guard position. Clapper plans to grow on last season.
“I am extremely confident in our ability to go far this year… we had a great offseason with open gym three days a week and summer league. This year we bring back more experience and have some talented underclassmen stepping up. We don’t have a large roster this year, but that hasn’t changed how we do things. We still have the same expectations and goals as any other year,” Clapper added.
Head Coach Kyley Longo-McGarvey is entering her 15th total year of coaching the Lady Devils. During her tenure as an assistant coach, the girls won two PIAA state championships. McGarvey has high expectations for her 2nd year as head coach. She and her team are fully prepared for the season to begin.
“We are excited to get rolling again with a new season. We have a lot of strength returning in various positions. We have been hard at work since April, and we are excited to cash in on that work. We keep the same goals every year, win 20 games, compete for a chance to play in the conference playoffs, advance to the district playoffs, and qualify for the state tournament,” Coach Longo-McGarvey said.
The girls open their season on Wednesday, December 4, where they match up with Hollidaysburg at home.
