Rochester, Pioneer girls look to replace key grads at scrimmage

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Rochester and Pioneer girls basketball teams combined for 28 wins last year, but Rochester graduated three senior starters, and Pioneer graduated five seniors, including RTC Player of the Year Makenna Strycker.

So when they got together for a scrimmage at the RHS gym Tuesday, it served as an early preview as to how each might change their style of play.

With the graduations of Ella McCarter, Rylee Clevenger and Audrey Bolinger – McCarter and Clevenger were both first-team all-Three Rivers Conference players – the leadership reins have seemingly passed to the junior-to-be trio of Aubrey Wilson, Jadyn Field and Brailyn Hunter.

Wilson will be in her third year as a point guard this fall, but she will not have the experienced ballhandling help that McCarter and Clevenger provided.

Wilson is also the team’s leading returning scorer, so coach Joel Burrus’ challenge is creating an offense that fits Wilson’s skill set.

That could include using high ball screens to create space for Wilson.

“So we’re going to be in an interesting situation because any time your point guard is your best scorer and the person you need to have the ball in their hands a lot, it’s a different kind of thing because she’s on the top, so all the defense is opened up to her,” Burrus said. “We’ve got to find ways to have her one pass away from the ball, and when she does have the ball, we’re going to have to be use ball screens with Field and play that two-man game and then have Hunter as that third to where we can stretch her out and get her to the corner.

“We want to use a lot of things to where those three are on the same side of the floor. And also when Wilson does give the ball up, can we get her the ball back pretty easily?”

Defensively, the team’s 2-3 zone that the team plays all game every game will not change, but it might apply more pressure in a style like a halfcourt trap. Sophomore Kyla Conley and freshmen Adalyn Gonzalez and Hope Baugh are athletic and can play out on the court. They could help Wilson, Hunter and Field apply pressure.

“Gonzalez and Hope Baugh, they’re both rangy out front,” Burrus said. “We’ve done that to some other teams this summer. We went to that defense last year, and I wasn’t able to do that much our first two years, so that shows me we’re getting better athletically. Because you can’t run those traps if you don’t have quick kids, kids with some strength, kids that can get out and hold a trap. And that’s going to get us some offense.”

Burrus said the team will not play as much outside competition this summer as they did last year because he felt it was more important the young players stay here for individual skill work and weight room work.

“I think for us it’s to get a good look at different concepts and getting some of these young kids experience at the varsity level,” Burrus said. “Obviously, we’re replacing three very big players for us with Bolinger, R.J. and McCarter. We told these freshmen and sophomores that it’s not about being them, but we’ve got to get you into a spot to where we’re getting you to where you can be the best. And that’s going to take some time. But when I say ‘your best,’ can we get you ready to play varsity basketball?”

And while the team showed quickness on the wing, it was not at the expense of size. Sophomore Jayla Miller and freshman Ali Field could join Jadyn Field as a threat in the post.

Lila Bowers and Kyleigh Little are two freshmen-to-be who did not play Tuesday but could help during the season.

As for Pioneer, they were held to six points in the first 40 minutes of the running-clock scrimmage. Mia McKaig is the team’s top returning scorer, but in addition to Strycker, the team graduated Michelle Harding, Rachel Harding, Kynzie Hathaway and Julia McGrew.

But they had to face Rochester’s aggressive zone without Strycker.

“It’s going to be by a team effort here,” Pioneer coach David McWherter said of the ballhandling. “We talked about we’re not necessarily going to have one pure point guard this year. It’s going to be probably a two-guard scenario where we’re using two or three or four different people to bring the ball up at times because you know we’re going to see pressure, especially early in the season.”

Pioneer started last year 0-6 before winning 10 of 11. They would eventually finish 12-13 after a season-ending loss to Tri-County in the Class 1A, Sectional 50 final. That midseason turnaround informed the goal for this summer, according to McWherter.

“For us, it’s just trying to get a new mix of girls on the court and getting them used to each other,” McWherter said. “We talk to them all the time in open gyms, and it’s all about individual workout, individual workout, individual workout, making yourself better. But really, honestly, it’s about creating a team atmosphere and having fun and trying to get these girls to see that team spirit we need for late in the season to try to make a run.”

In a second scrimmage featuring mostly JV players, Pioneer won 8-5, and sophomores-to-be Leah Zeigler and Elizabeth Kennell were the standouts. Zeigler is a versatile player who can play “1 through 5” on the court, according to McWherter. Kennell was a formidable post presence.

“She’s athletic, and she can get off the floor and get up in the air,” McWherter said of Kennell. “She played center for the JV team. … She’s raw and that, but we’ll keep working with her and getting her better and see where we’re at.”

McWherter said he sees the team being about seven deep. Senior post player Hannah Zeigler, who is Leah’s sister, was at FFA and did not attend.