The Whitehall varsity girl’s basketball team is seeking to rebound after a disappointing 2010-11 season that saw them lose twice as many games as they won.
In order to improve on last year’s 6-12 record (6-10 in the league) the team will look for contributions from a host of younger players.
The Railroaders lost several experienced players from last year’s squad, including outside threat Loren Martell, defensive stopper Paige Mason and All-Adirondack Team All-Star Katie Paddock.
“This is a transition year for us. We are a young team,” said second-year head coach Jim Burgey.
Fortunately, despite their youth, the team will be buoyed by several returning players who saw significant court time last year.
Last year’s squad had a number of sophomores, who should show marked improvement after getting their first taste of varsity-level competition last year.
Junior Brittney Putorti started every game for the Railroaders last season and will be asked to assume a larger role on the offensive end of the court.
The team will also count on fellow juniors Victoria Christian and Ariel Ayers, both of whom logged time on the court last season.
Other players who logged minutes on the varsity squad last year and will be asked to assume greater responsibility this year are Payton Bessette, Faith Eaton, Brianna McDonald, Marissa Alexander and Rebecca Lavin.
Burgey said the team will also look for contributions from first-year varsity players Kendra Rocque and sophomores Ashley Davis and Kelsey Farley.
With so much youth, Burgey said the team has been concentrating on becoming fundamentally strong. “They work hard, practice hard and are a disciplined group.”
While the team lacks ideal size, they do possess a great deal of athleticism that will dictate the style they play.
“We have some speed. We are going to push the tempo a little and look to get points in transition by moving the ball up the court,” Burgey said. “And we will play a lot of man to man defense.”
Argyle, who went undefeated in the league last season and second place finisher Fort Ann both return every player and are expected to be the class of the league. Fort Edward and Lake George should also be formidable.
Burgey is realistic about his team’s goals for the season; a state championship is likely not in the cards. Instead the team will seek to be competitive while preparing a young team for the future.
“Our goal is to constantly seek improvement. We want to be better at the end of the season than at the start. We want to improve every day, from practice to practice,” Burgey said.
Roster
Name Year Height Jersey #
Victoria Christian 11 5’5” 11
Brianna McDonald 12 5’1” 12
Payton Bessette 11 5’4” 13
Rebecca Lavin 11 5’8” 14
Kendra Rocque 11 5’7” 15
Ariel Ayers 11 5’6” 20
Brittney Putorti 11 5’7” 21
Ashley Davis 10 5’4” 22
Marissa Alexander 12 5’8” 23
Faith Eaton 11 5’8” 25
Kelsey Farley 10 5’8” 30
Schedule
Tues, December 6th Fort Ann @ Whitehall 6pm
Fri, December 9th Lake George @ Whitehall 6pm
Tues, December 13th Whitehall @ Argyle 6pm
Fri, December 16th Warrensburg @ Whitehall 6pm
Tues, December 20th Whitehall @ Hartford 6pm
Tues, January 3rd Whitehall @ Salem 7pm
Fri, January 6th Whitehall @ North Warren 6pm
Tues, January 10th Luzerne @ Whitehall (ACC) 4:30pm
Thurs, January 12th Luzerne @ Whitehall JV only 6pm
Fri, January 13th Whitehall @ Bolton 6pm
Mon, January 16th Whitehall @ Spa Catholic 4pm
Tues, January 17th Fort Edward @ Whitehall 6pm
Fri, January 20th Whitehall @ Corinth 6pm
Thurs, January 26th Whitehall @ Fort Ann 6pm
Tues, January 31st Argyle @ Whitehall 6pm
Fri, February 3rd Hartford @ Whitehall 6pm
Tues, February 7th Salem @ Whitehall 7pm
Fri, February 10th Whitehall @ Fort Edward 6pm
Mon, February 13th Crossovers 6pm