Scouting: Kaneland

Kaneland Knights

Coach: Ernie Colombe (10th year)

Conference: Northern Illinois Big XII East

2014-15 record: 18-10, 6-7

Top returning players: Camri Conley (Sr., 5-7, G), Bailey Crimmins (Sr, 6-2, C), Vanessa Gould (Sr., 5-9, F), Meg Cohrs (Sr., 5-8, F), Madi Edwards (Sr., 6-0, C), Nicole Koczka (Sr., 5-6, G). Morgan Weber (Jr., 5-5, G). Kylie Modaff (Jr., 5-11, F), Jenni Weber (So., 5-8, G), Rachel Gross (Sr., 5-9, F), Destiny Cowsert (Sr., 5-6, G)

Top newcomers: Kristin Siebert (Jr., 5-8, F), Carley Elliott (Jr., 5-6, F), Alex Burrell (Jr., 5-6, G), Jamie Martens (So., 5-6, G)

Season outlook: Kaneland is one of the most experienced teams in the area, bringing back its roster nearly intact from a strong 2014-15 campaign. Conley was a unanimous All-Conference selection while Crimmins made honorable mention All-Conference. They form a strong inside-outside combination, Conley averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals a game and Crimmins at 10 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field. The Knights have a 3-point shooter sharpshooter in Jenni Weber, a lockdown defender in Morgan Weber, and Gould, Cohrs and Edwards will help hold down the paint along with Crimmins. Jenni Weber averaged 6.5 points with 37 3-pointers on 34.3 percent shooting from 3-point range, and Morgan Weber scored 6.8 points with 3 rebounds and 2 steals a game. "Our goal is to take the season one game at a time and try to be 1-0 each game," Colombe said. "We try to simplify the game by just focusing on one game at a time." Colombe said Kaneland can challenge defending champion Sycamore and others for conference. "Our conference is very strong in girls basketball," Colombe said. "We feel like we can compete for the top spot this year if we can stay healthy and keep improving."