Scouting Downers Grove North girls basketball

Downers Grove North

Coach: Leslie Dehn.

Last year: 12-16 overall, 4-8 in the West Suburban Silver; lost to Naperville Central 56-47 in the Class 4A East Aurora regional semifinal.

Top players: Mary Echemann, sr., G/F; Sarah Costello, so., G; Mary Bedalov, jr., C/F; Izzy Greenbalt, fr., G; Christine Sydelko, sr., C/F.

Scouting report: It's a new batch of faces in Downers Grove, but with a bullet. Sure, Downers Grove North must replace four starters, but most of these younger kids have grown up in the program. Better yet, Dehn can count on the continuity of the same coaching staff throughout the program for the third straight year. "It makes a difference," Dehn said. "They come in and know how we run things." Echemann, who averaged just less than 6 points per game, enters her third season and will need to boost that production. Costello was bumped up as a freshman and will be asked to run the point. It's a much smaller group than in recent years; Echemann, at 5-foot-10, and the 6-foot Sydelko are the only Trojans taller than 5-8. "With this group we're getting them to work together and compete," Dehn said. "Hopefully in a couple weeks things will start to click."