HYDE — Longtime coach Joey Castagnolo is counting on marked improvement from a nucleus of six lettermen and help from athletic newcomers to make 2015-16 a turnaround season for the Clearfield Area High School girls basketball team.
Seniors Emily Ryan, Rachel Glenny and Margo Castagnolo are returning starters, while classmate Sam Rockmore, junior Ally Lindstrom and sophomore Brooke Cline logged their share of playing time last season as well.
Junior Niki Chew, sophomores Nikki Brossard and Kate Lansberry and freshman Alayna Ryan are the new faces who will be in the mix to provide valuable minutes.
“I think we’re much quicker this year and, based on our two scrimmages, we’re not turning the ball over nearly as much as last year,” coach Castagnolo proclaimed. “They seem like they’ve all grown up together.
“I’m striving for a better-than-.500 season, and I’d really like to represent Clearfield in the District 9 Playoffs and get to Clarion.”
Paramount for the Lady Bison to achieve those goals is lighting up the scoreboard after three seasons of averaging less than 40 points for a total of 14 wins.
The 2014-15 team topped 34 points only three times in a season-ending 10-game losing streak to finish 4-18 with a 3-11 Mountain League record.
“We’ve really been stressing shooting in practice,” Castagnolo said. “We work hard at it. Hopefully, all the time in the gym will help our percentage because we haven’t been very good recently.”
The good news is that the two leadings scorers are back in playmaker Emily Ryan (205 points, 9.3 ppg) and post player Glenny (199 points, 9.5 ppg).
Glenny also average nine rebounds a game.
Those two will be in the starting lineup along with Margo Castagnolo, Lindstrom and Rockmore when the Lady Bison open the season against North Clarion in the Brookville Tip-Off Tournament Friday at 3 p.m.
Lindstrom (50 points, 2.3 ppg) will join Ryan in the backcourt with Castagnolo (61 points, 2.8 ppg) on the right wing and Rockmore (35 points, 1.8 ppg) on the left wing and also teaming with Glenny under the boards.
Coach Castagnolo, who usually substitutes early and often, expects key minutes and production from Brossard and Chew on the inside and Cline and Alayna Ryan on the outside.
Not having a full complement during the preseason is a concern for Castagnolo, as Chew has been slowed by an injury while Cline and Brossard have missed practices due to family commitments.
That could impact one of his goals, a good start against a tough schedule this month.
Over the long haul, good, if not great, defense will be as important as shooting for the Lady Bison, who probably won’t show a major spike in three-pointers after making only three last season.
“We basically will be an inside scoring team again,” said Castagnolo, who is hoping for an increased number of bonus points by pushing the ball up court and converting stops into fast-break points.
He’s banking on changing defenses and pressing to prevent opponents from getting close to last season‘s 52.7 average.
“I’m hoping we can use our athleticism and quickness to show different wrinkles with our zones and presses,” he explained. “I just don’t know how soon that will come around since we’ve haven’t had a full team for practices. We haven’t even been able to work on our man defense much.”
Castagnolo projects defending champion Tyrone and Penns Valley as the cream of the crop in the Mountain League.
“I feel we can compete with everybody else,” he said.
In addition to the Brookville tourney, Clearfield will play Curwensville twice, DuBois, Punxsutawney, St. Marys and Brookville in non-league tests.
Castagnolo enters his 17th season at the helm with a 186-206 record.
His assistant coaches are Jerry Stewart (17th year) and Stan Solarczyk (11th year).
The roster, with (*) denoting letterwinner:
Seniors – Margo Castagnolo (*), Rachel Glenny (*), Sam Rockmore, Emily Ryan (*), River Williams.
Juniors – Niki Chew, Ally Lindstrom (*).
Sophomores – Nikki Brossard, Brooke Cline (*), Karlie Gisewhite, Kate Lansberry.
Freshman – Alayna Ryan.
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The schedule, with (ML) designating Mountain League games and tip-offs at 7:30 p.m. unless noted:
December
4 – North Clarion (3 p.m.) at Brookville Tip-Off Tournament; 5 – Clarion-Limestone or Brookville (TBA) at Brookville Tip-Off Tournament; 8 – CENTRAL (ML); 11 – at Huntingdon (ML); 14 – at DuBois; 16 – at Bellefonte (ML); 18 – TYRONE (ML); 21 – BROOKVILLE; 29 – at Curwensville.
January
4 -PUNXSUTAWNEY; 5 – at Bald Eagle Area (ML); 8 – PENNS VALLEY (ML); 13 – at Philipsburg-Osceola (ML); 15 – at Central (ML); 18 – at St. Marys; 19 – HUNTINGDON (ML); 22 – BELLEFONTE; 27 – at Tyrone (ML); 29 – BALD EAGLE AREA (ML).
February
2 – at Penns Valley (ML); 4 – CURWENSVILLE; 5 -PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (ML).