By RICHIE HALL
With eight varsity players returning to the lineup, there is plenty to be excited about when it comes to Westfield girls basketball.
The Shamrocks begin their season Wednesday when they host North Central at CSI Gymnasium. Westfield was 12-11 last year, and have their three returning leading scorers back for this season.
“We are incredibly excited,” said second-year Westfield coach Kelsey (Key) Steele. “Every opportunity we have to compete is one for our group to learn and grow together and what better way to do that than to compete against the best in the state every single night? Our girls are ready to start the season and look forward to the opportunities we have ahead of us.”
The top returner is senior Ellie Kelleher, who led the Shamrocks in scoring last season with 11.5 points per game. Kelleher was also the leader in assists with 3.2 per game. Also back are two juniors: Lindsey Van Dyke, who contributed 6.6 points per game, and Aubrey Crockett, who added 6.4 points and led Westfield in rebounds (5.1) and blocks (1.1).
The ‘Rocks have two more seniors on their roster. Reagan Lorenzen added 3.9 points per game, while Kiki Loveless collected 3.6 rebounds to go with 3.5 points. Sophomore MaKayla Hatcher is also expected to make an impact on varsity; she played 13 games last year as a freshman.
Juniors Mia Crask and Megan Hamilton round out the returning varsity players, with both playing eight games last season as sophomores. Also on the varsity list are junior Samantha Price, who has gotten into seven varsity games, junior Madeline Linville and sophomore Kate Roh.
“Practices have been good so far,” said Steele. “We love the energy and togetherness we are seeing from this group. They have a desire to compete and grow together daily and that is a fun place to be.” The coach said that ultimately, the team is seeking to grow just one percent better each day “and commit ourselves to the process of pursuing excellence along the way.”
After hosting the Panthers, Westfield will play its first road game on Nov. 4 at Pendleton Heights. The Shamrocks welcome Fishers on Nov. 17 to begin Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. It will be a meeting that includes two of last summer’s Junior All-Stars: Kelleher and the Tigers’ Talia Harris.