| Lakota’s girls return eight letter winners this season. In the front (from left) are: Hannah Podach, Mackenzie Brewer, Sami Filliater, and Kaela Wiseman. In the back are Rachel Hoffman, Amy Gosche, Breanne Nonnemaker, and Amanda Babcock. (Photos: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune) |
KANSAS – For the first time in a long time, the Lakota girls basketball team has a returning head coach.
After having seven different coaches in a five-year period, the Raiders welcome back second-year coach
Sam Meek. Meek will continue to help Lakota try to turn itself into a competitive program in a new
league.
The Raiders, 2-20 in 2008-09 and 1-19 the year before Meek’s arrival, will join the Midland Athletic
League in 2009-10. Lakota was 0-13 in its final Suburban Lakes League season.
"They’re gaining confidence in themselves and in their ability to play together as a team,"
said Meek. "We haven’t changed anything offensively this year, we’ve just added to it, so the girls
have a second year of running the same thing."
Last season, the Raiders averaged 32.7 points per game, as just three players averaged over five points
per contest. On defense, they gave up an average of 53.4.
"We’ve improved as a team, but we’re not where we need to be yet," said Meek. "It takes a
while to build a program, but we are getting better."
Experience was low for Lakota a year ago with only one senior (point guard Alicia Bickford), but this
season the roster will be upper-class heavy. The Raiders have eight total returning letterwinners with
eight seniors, two juniors and two sophomores making up the squad.
"We understand the game better now," said Meek. "We played 36 games this summer and spent
a lot of time working primarily on defense, but we still have a ways to go to be competitive in each
game.
"We made a lot of mistakes last year and averaged 32 turnovers a game," Meek continued.
"Then we struggled putting the ball in the basket and you can’t commit that many turnovers and
struggle to get points and expect to win."
Leading the returners for Lakota is junior center Amy Gosche, who averaged 7.2 points per game and 5.3
boards per contest last season.
"She is probably the best athlete in this school," said Meek of Gosche, who also averaged 1.4
blocks on defense. "She is deceptively fast, she’s strong, and she’s a hard worker and the girls
like having the ball in her hand because they know she is a capable player."
| Sam Meek |
Looking to feed Gosche will be returning senior Hannah Podach, who will take Bickford’s spot at point
guard. Sophomore Kaela Wiseman is expected to be the shooting guard with senior Breanne Nonnemaker
playing the three-spot.
"(Nonnemaker) is more of a post player, but I needed to find a way to get her on the court,"
said Meek. "So we moved her to get her talents on the floor."
Senior Rachel Hoffman, who was in the top five of the SLL with 7.7 rebounds per game, will most likely
take the power forward slot.
"We want to go into the post on offense," said Meek. "We’ve got strong post players and we
want to pound the ball inside with the hopes of it opening doors on the outside."
Other players expected to make impacts are sophomore forward Jessica Hoffman and senior forward Sami
Filliater.
There are no preseason picks in the MAL, but the Raiders know that even though they are one of the bigger
schools now, things don’t change much.
"It’s not going to be any easier than the SLL was," said Meek. "The MAL girls programs
have been tough for a long time."
LAKOTA GIRLS SCHEDULE
Nov. 27 – BETTSVILLE#
Nov. 28 – EASTWOOD
Dec. 1 – at Carey#
Dec. 10 – HOPEWELL-LOUDON#
Dec. 12 – ARCADIA
Dec. 18 – at Fostoria St. Wendelin#
Dec. 28 – at Lake
Dec. 30 – OLD FORT#
Jan. 7 – at North Baltimore#
Jan. 9 -at Genoa
Jan. 12 – at Fostoria
Jan. 14 – at Fremont St. Joseph CC#
Jan. 16 – WOODMORE
Jan. 22 -SENECA EAST#
Jan. 26 – at Old Fort#
Jan. 28 – at Bettsville#
Feb. 5 – TIFFIN CALVERT#
Feb. 11 – NEW RIEGEL#
Feb. 18 – at Mohawk#
Feb. 20 – ELMWOOD
#-Midland Athletic League game
