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Quality is the rule in competitive league

Aurora Central Catholic

Coach: Mark Fitzgerald (8th year, 102-95)

Conference: Metro Suburban West

2014-15 record: 17-10

Top returning players: Veronica LaVia (Sr., 5-9, G/F), Paige Miller (Sr., 5-4, G), Alex Johnston (Jr., 5-8, G), Taylor Harazin (Jr., 6-3, C)

Top newcomers: Jessica Anger (Sr., 6-0, F/C)

Season outlook: It's a new-look of sorts for the Chargers this winter as they graduated a dynamite backcourt tandem of Gabi Alfaro and Kalie Soris but return plenty of size. That includes Harazin, who shot 50 percent from the field last year averaging 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. “We will field our tallest team but experience will be an issue,” Fitzgerald said. Alfaro and Soris were 2 of the 6 seniors the Chargers graduated. Those six players combined for 70 percent of the team's scoring last year. Harazin, transfer Anger, junior Sabrina Ganofsky and junior Shakira Del Toro are all at least 5-10 and will be “protecting the paint,” Fitzgerald said, adding Johnston will be “running the show,” a point guard with size whose “aggressiveness, ballhandling skills and court awareness will be greatly needed for us to take advantage of our commanding height.” LaVia and Miller are three-year varsity players who along with Cortino will provide the team's outside shooting. “This inside-outside game will hopefully pay dividends,” Fitzgerald said. Glenbard South is a team to watch in the Metro Suburban race. The Chargers also improved their nonconference schedule, accepting an invitation to play in the Chicago Heights Marian Catholic Holiday tournament as the smallest school among 4A opponents like Marian, Neuqua Valley, Batavia, and Bloom Township. “We feel that challenging our kids with this level of competition will really help us in the postseason,” Fitzgerald said.

Fenton

Coach: Tim Anderson.

Last year: 7-22, 0-14 in Metro Suburban Conference West Division; lost to Glenbard North 40-26 in Class 4A St. Charles North regional quarterfinal.

Top players: Jessica Bango, sr., G; Courtney Susmarski, sr., G/P; Krysta Wilson, jr., G; Jamie Minard, so., G.

Scouting report: For Anderson it all comes down to gaining experience as to whether the Bison will improve in the upcoming season. “We have a long way to go. There's a lack of varsity experience. I'm excited about how hard this team is working and anxious to see how the team will do. I have been doing this long enough to know how valuable experience is. It's something that's a necessity. But I am more excited than worried,” he said. The Bison have three returning starters — Bango, Susmarski and Wilson. Bango is entering her fourth year on the varsity, so her experience with the Bison's Princeton-style offense will be critical.

Glenbard South

Coach: Morgan Kasperek.

Last year: 24-4, 12-0, first in Metro Suburban Conference West Division; lost in Class 3A sectional semifinal to Montini.

Top players: Payton Carli, sr., G; Sarah Cohen, so., G; Ashley Dodge, so, F; Ally Daca, so., C; Maggie Bair, fr., C; Mady Carli, so., G.

Scouting report: The Raiders not only have a new coach for the first time in 10 years, they have a lot of new faces on the roster due to heavy graduation losses. “We're really young, but they're a hardworking, very coachable group,” Kasperek said. Payton Carli is the lone returning starter, though Cohen saw a lot of playing time off the bench. Payton Carli also plays volleyball and softball, two sports that have a history of going deep into the postseason, so she can handle pressure of leading this group. “You can't explain her but she's phenomenal,” the coach said of the older Carli. The sophomore class is the strength of this group, and the freshman, Bair, will see a lot of time also. Depth also will be a problem; only nine girls are on the roster. Kasperek won't change much from predecessor Julie Fonda. “She left a great program for me with a ton of really great principles in place,” Kasperek said. Expect to see more man-to-man defense, though.

IC Catholic Prep

Coach: Kelsey James.

Last year: 20-13, 6-8, in Metro Suburban Conference West Division; fourth place in Class 2A.

Top players: Anjella Farmer, sr., F; Claire Gibler, so., F; Leslie Montoya, sr., F; Kiersten King, so., F; Tess Reardon, jr., G; Sophie Zanoni, so., G.

Scouting report: For a first-year coach, James finds herself in a good spot. Seven players return from last year's state semifinal team, including starters Farmer and Gibler. Farmer was All-Area and all-state a year ago. “A very, very strong player, and she's very determined, which you don't see all the time,” James said. The coach has known Gibler since the player was in grade school. “She's really improved on her confidence level, which is a big thing with her being a sophomore,” she said. James isn't changing a whole lot, just adding a few wrinkles here and there. The team will look to fastbreak where it can, then screen and roll in the halfcourt to get its post players involved. Defensively, the Knights will press and play man-to-man mostly, with some zone mixed in. “It's been a good start to the year,” James said.

St. Edward

Coach: Michelle Dawson (13th year, 172-136)

Conference: Metro Suburban West

2014-15 record: 18-10, 7-5

Top returning players: Yssa Sto. Domingo (So., 5-3, G), Madelyn Spagnola (Jr., 5-3, G), Katelyn Castoro (Jr., 5-6, G/F), Emily Armstrong (Sr., G)

Top newcomers: Mariel Franco (So., 5-8, G), Madison Knott (So., 5-7, G), Mallory Rejman (So., 5-9, G/F), Izzy Hernandez (So., 5-11, F)

Season outlook: The Green Wave have some big shoes to fill, literally, with the graduation of 6-3 CeCe Rapp and the 477 points and 323 rebounds she had last season, so the style of play will certainly change since St. Edward doesn't have a single 6-footer this season. Spagnola is back from a knee injury that claimed half of her sophomore season, while Sto. Domingo and Castoro each saw plenty of playing time last year. But beyond that it's a young and inexperienced group but Dawson is encouraged with what she's seen so far, especially after a season-opening win on Tuesday over Westmont. “It was great to see Maddie back on the floor,” Dawson said. “Maddie, Katelyn and Yssa have really stepped up their play and they're working on bringing the younger crew up to the varsity level and the speed of the game.” Dawson said she's looking for good things from Rejman, Knott and Franco, while Hernandez will take over the post. “Izzy has worked really hard,” the coach said. “We need to compensate for not having CeCe out there and change our style some. It's different and there's going to be a learning curve. The girls are very focused, they are working hard and they are very coachable. We're expecting great things this year.”

Timothy Christian

Coach: Michele Strube

Last year: 14-13, 8-4 third in Metro Suburban Conference East Division, lost to North Lawndale in regional semifinal.

Top players: Allison Zeilstra, jr. G; Olivia Hoekstra, jr. G; Dani Van Laten, sr. G; Grace Miller, sr. F; Alison DeBoer, sr. F; Hope Zastrow, jr. F.

Scouting report: Coming off a solid 2014-15 campaign, Strube is excited about her deep team, once the players all come together and get into basketball shape. Seven of the 11 players on the roster got late starts due to the success of the volleyball and cross country squads. “I could probably get all 11 in every game,” Strube said. “All have areas they can contribute.” The heart and soul of the Trojans is returning all-conference point guard Zeilstra, who was cleared to return last month after suffering a torn ACL in April. Hoekstra and Van Laten, a setter on the volleyball team who is back after not playing basketball a year ago, will also be major contributors in what could be a five-guard offense at times. Timothy only has one girl over 6-foot, sophomore Emily DeBoer. “I hope we can fast break and get a lot of layups,” Strube said, “and our defense has to be spot on all 32 minutes a game. We need to work harder and be more aggressive than everybody else.”

Wheaton Academy

Coach: Beth Mitchell.

Last year: 17-11, 4-8, fifth in the Metro Suburban Conference West Division. Lost to Montini in the Class 3A regional finals.

Top players: Jamie Netzley, sr., G; Elizabeth Melby, sr. F; Liana Ledesma, sr, G; Dana Dzingel, sr., F; Chrislyn Herring, jr., G; Lizzy Swoboda, soph., F.

Scouting report: Netzley returns for her fourth year as the Warriors' starting point guard after leading the team in scoring at 16.9 points a game last year while also recording 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 steals. The all-conference player plans to sign on to play at Taylor University in Indiana. Small forward Elizabeth Melby, also a four-year starter, averaged just more 9 points and 6 rebounds a game last year. Only two players graduated from last season, and the deep squad also expects big things from 6-1 junior forward Meredith Bult, senior guard Aleksa Loch, junior guards Jasmine Mayo, Emily Renn and Kimmy Banks, along with lone freshman Analise Richcreek, a 5-7 forward. Mitchell says playing bigger programs like Glenbard South and Riverside-Brookfield, along with other tough MSC teams, helps the Warriors come playoff time. “It's a very, very tough basketball conference, but we like that. It prepares us. Hopefully if we get a chance to make a run in the postseason, these are the kinds of games that will help us,” she said.

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