Girl's Basketball Preview

Coach:Rhonda Slider, 3rd season.

Last year:8-14 (0-8 Northwestern District); Lost to Skyline in Northwestern District play-in game.

Key losses:Shannan Thorne, Kelsey Seymour, Halley DeHaven, Kristen Dick.

Key returnees:Erica Hepner, Jr. F; Katelyn Pennington, Sr. G; Sarah Callaham, Sr. G; Miranda Moore, Sr. F; Whitney Dick, So. G; Kaitlyn Duncan, Sr. G.

Top newcomers:Laura Seymour, So. G; Brooke Nesselrodt, So. G; Danielle Rizzari, Fr. G.

Outlook:Slider knows there's no way the Colonels can replace a player like Thorne, who averaged 18.2 points and 17.2 rebounds last year.

But James Wood - which is 2-0 after opening with a 53-46 win against Musselman (W.Va.) and a 51-35 win over Clarke County - does hope a balanced attack with some strong shooters and an adept point guard can help them pick up some wins this year.

The Colonels struggled with taking care of the ball at times last year, and Slider thinks the addition of the point guard Rizzari - who led the Colonels with 18 points against the Applemen - should help with that.

"She sees the floor really well," Slider said. "She knows to operate the offense, she's got a quick pass, and she can dribble out of trouble."

Slider hopes players like Hepner (5.7 points, 4.6 rebounds) and Moore can provide effective play in the frontcourt, and she hopes her team overall can play with more consistency.

"We got off to some some slow starts last year, so we need to be strong for all four quarters," she said. "We need to be competitive, aggressive and intense from the beginning."