| There are six letter winners returning for Bowling Green’s girls basketball team this season: They are (front left) Hayley Williford; Stanisha Taylor; Makkenzi Hanna, Jessica Sikula, Emily Stanish and Bethany Hoehner. (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune) |
With six solid veterans returning, Bowling Green’s Jeff Nichols is hoping the Bobcats’ girls basketball
team can contend for a spot in the upper division of the Northern Lakes League.
Nichols picks Southview as the league favorite followed by Perrysburg and Northview. The Bobcats open the
season with Southview on Nov. 28.
“I think the battle will be for fourth place and we’d like to be in that battle,” Nichols said. “I think
between us, Springfield and AW (Anthony Wayne), that’s the competition to round out the top four.”
The Bobcats, 8-14 overall and 4-10 in the NLL a year ago, lost two key players — Liz Hammer, now playing
basketball at Ursuline College and Brittany Davis, now playing softball at Madonna University. Hammer
finished with 209 points and Davis had 112 points and led the team with 109 rebounds.
Seniors Stanisha Taylor, 5-feet-11, Jessica Sikula, 5-8, and Bethany Hoehner, 5-11, head the list of
returnees, Nichols said. Taylor averaged 11.0 points and 2.5 assists per game last season. Sikula, 5-8,
scored at a 4.9 ppg clip. Hoehner, 5-11, averaged 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
“All three have played together for four years,” Nichols said. “They are three pretty good kids.
“As long as Stanisha’s on the floor, she’ll be the point guard,” he added.
The other returning letter winners are senior Emily Stanish, 6-0; junior Makkenzi Hanna, 5-10; and
sophomore Hayley Williford, 5-7.
Hanna was a starter last year and she’s competing for playing time with Stanish and Alyssa Kopp, 6-0
sophomore, inside.
“All three of those kids will see a lot of playing time,” Nichols said.
“Last year we used our post differently because we knew Brittany would get the rebound,” he added. “This
year we’ll make them (the three post players) have to do it. I think they’ll be able to pick that up.”
Williford came on strong at the end of the season, averaging 14 points per game over the final five games
of the season. Williford was second on the team with 20 3-pointers, making 45.5 percent of her shots
from beyond the arc.
“We’re expecting some good things from her,” Nichols said.
Another sophomore who has been playing well in the preseason is Jenna Stoner, 5-9.
The other seniors on the team are Amanda Long, 5-3; and Ella McGowan, 5-6. Other juniors are on the team
are Becca Ruehl, 5-5, who Nichols said is BG’s defensive specialist and a player who adds a lot of
energy when she is on the floor; and Hayley Krill, 5-7, who was sidelined by injury last season.
Rounding out the roster are sophomores Marissa Milligan, 5-7; and Vivian Vazquez, 5-2. Nichols said
Milligan would help the team with her shooting and that Vazquez would play on both the varsity and
junior varsity.
“Pat (Hetrick, BG’s assistant coach) and I think that we probably go eight or nine deep for sure and then
have a lot of other kids who can play bit parts and roles for us. That’s something we have not had for a
long time,” Nichols said. “This year we have a lot of talented young ladies who, so far, are working
well together.
“It will help us out to have a deeper bench and a lot more kids that can play roles for us so that we
don’t have to rely on one person all the time.”
BGHS GIRLS SCHEDULE
Nov. 28 — at Southview#
Dec. 1 — ELMWOOD
Dec. 4 — SPRINGFIELD#
Dec. 8 — FREMONT ROSS
Dec. 11 — NORTHVIEW#
Dec. 18 — at Rossford#
Dec. 21 — at Archbold
Dec. 29 — at Toledo Scott
Jan. 8 — at Maumee#
Jan. 9 — MONTPELIER
Jan. 12 — at Otsego
Jan. 15 — PERRYSBURG#
Jan. 19 —SOUTHVIEW#
Jan. 23 — at Springfield#
Jan. 26 —at Northview#
Jan. 30 — ANTHONY WAYNE#
Feb. 2 — ROSSFORD#
Feb. 6 — MAUMEE#
Feb. 9 — at Anthony Wayne#
Feb. 16 —at Perrysburg#
#—Northern Lakes League games
