Trio returns as SPASH looks to defend WVC title Amherst girls start bid to repeat as basketball season kicks off By MIKE KEMMETER of The Gazette SPASH The defending Wisconsin Valley Conference champions are back with most of the firepower that helped the Panthers take the title last year. Point guard Emily Pliska, shooting guard Stephanie Karaliunas and center Janel McCarville are returning for Stevens Point Area Senior High, giving the Panthers skilled players at three key positions. "I really like our team. We've got some excellent guards and Janel in the post," SPASH coach Kraig Terpstra said. "You want to be strong at the guards and at the pivot and I think we are." Pliska and Karaliunas are both seniors and are entering their third year as starters. And as a sophomore last year, McCarville at times dominated opponents in the middle. Other returnees include senior guards Nikki Falkowski and Amber Lenze. Newcomer Rachel Kreuser (junior) will also play in the post and senior Jodi Przekurat (F); juniors Lynn Eckerman (F), Carla Zarecki (G); and sophomores Michele Rosicky and Kara Kujawa will likely see time off the bench. "I've been surprised with Rachel Kreuser as another post inside," Terpstra said. Terpstra will get his first look at the 1999-00 SPASH team Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. when the Panthers host La Crosse Logan. With Pliska, Karaliunas and McCarville back, the Panthers will be shooting for another WVC championship. Terpstra said Merrill, Wausau West, Marshfield and D.C. Everest will be SPASH's main competition. "Every team wants to win conference and every team wants to go to state," said of the team's goals for the season. "We just really want to be a hard working team and improve as the year goes on. "If we do that, I feel we'll be there for a chance to win conference and a chance to make it through regionals and sectionals." Pacelli With five returning seniors and two legitimate threats in the post, the Cardinals will try and bounce back from a disappointing 1998-99 season. Pacelli will have to overcome the loss of three seniors, including Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference Player of the Year Karen Kedrowski. While Kedrowski is gone, seniors Lindsey Radomsky and Laura McCorkell are back in the middle, giving Pacelli two tall targets. Both will play either the center or forward position. Forward Kristin Mitchell is also returning from last year's starting lineup. The trio will be joined by new starters Lyndsey Johnson, a senior point guard, and senior Cindy Lila. "Our strong points are the fact that we've got three starters coming in from last year and the other two seniors saw a lot of minutes throughout the year," new coach Jim Warzinik said. "We're going to depend heavily on our post players. They're both very good rebounders and have very good awareness in the post area," said of Radomsky and McCorkell. With no juniors on the roster, Warzinik and the Cardinals will have to count on a group of sophomores to give the starters an occasional breather. Kim Schulist (G/F), Emily Swenson (G), Jenny Mitchell (F) and Valerie Glodowski (F) will likely see time off of the bench. "We're working hard with our sophomores to bring them up to the next level. It's a lot to ask of them - we'll depend on them for strong minutes off of the bench," Warzinik said. "The biggest thing is for our seniors to provide leadership to the sophomores." The Cardinals kicked off their final season in the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association Thursday, Nov. 18 on the road against Oshkosh Lourdes. In preparation for the season, Warzinik has worked on many of the basics with his team. "We want to have a strong work ethic in practice that is going to carry over to the game," he said. "We're making a strong commitment to fundamentals. They may not see any initial rewards, but they will come in the second half of the season." Amherst Almost any team that has won a championship will say it's much harder to repeat. And after winning the WIAA Division 3 state championship a year ago, the Falcons are about to find out what it's like to try and stay on top of the mountain. "Everybody has these expectations," Amherst coach Michelle Haferbecker said. "We'll take each game at a time and see how far we can go. "You'd like to repeat. But there's a lot of work to be done before that." Before Amherst's season opened at Almond-Bancroft Thursday, Haferbecker admitted she likes what she's seen so far. "This team this year is already becoming a close knit team," she said, adding that it took until December for the team to gel last year. "It's a great group to work with. Everybody's very positive." Seven Falcons are back from last year's state championship team, including starters Meghan Simkins, Anne Stanislawski and Jenni Orsund. Departed are starting point guard Melissa Schweitzer (leading scorer, All-CWC player last year) and center Kari Thompson. Simkins, a senior, will step into the middle for Amherst, while senior Stanislawski and junior Betsy Hoffman will start the season at forward. Sophomore Jamie Krutza and junior Jenny Dombrowski will start at the guard spots. Orsund, a junior, is out indefinitely with knee tendonitis. Senior Caroline Quinn (F); juniors Amber Warden (G), Karen Ehr (F), Katie Bohm (F), and Coady Ostrowski (F); and sophomores Molly Simkins (F) and Liz Heinz (F) could all see playing time off of the bench. "All the girls that are back from last year are right where they should be," Haferbecker said. "It's the thing of the new ones learning the offense and realizing that varsity is a big step up from JV. "I think by the end of the year we might have a stronger bench than last year. I'm hoping I can get down the bench a little further than last year." Depending on how quickly Molly Simkins can develop, she may team with her older sister in the center spot. "Molly Simkins may be one that can help us out," Haferbecker said. "She's the second tallest girl on the team and we need someone to back up her sister." Almond-Bancroft The defending Central Wisconsin Conference small division champion Eagles will have to overcome a lack of height and the loss of Marianne Morgan in order to keep their crown. Morgan, a three-time All-CWC player, and 1998-99 leading rebounder Beth Danforth both graduated, which leaves A-B to look toward returning starters Stephanie Jenz and Sarah Berry to help pick up the slack. Jenz, a senior guard, is back after being named to the all-conference team last year. Berry, a junior, is the team's tallest player and will fill the center spot despite being only 5-foot-9. The lack of height means A-B may have to pick up the pace of each game. "We're going to be small," A-B coach Rodney Wedig said. "We'll try to play up-tempo with small lineups." Joining Jenz and Berry in the starting lineup will be junior guard Andrea Cummings, senior forward Ellen Riggenbach and sophomore Courtney Newby. A-B's bench will likely consist of junior guard Jamie Warzynski, junior forward Andrea Scholler and sophomore center Darlene Turzinski. "The starting five are really solid," Wedig said. "There's no experience at all on the bench, so that will be an early test." The Eagles were thrown into the fire immediately, as they hosted defending Division 3 state champion Amherst Thursday, Nov. 18. In the CWC race Wedig sees Rosholt, who eliminated the Eagles at sectionals last year, and Iola-Scandinavia as the two teams to beat. "We want to remain competitive and stay at the top part of the conference. With the talent Rosholt and Iola return, it will be tough to stay in there," he said. "If we get good, consistent play from our starters and help from the bench, we should remain competitive." Rosholt All-conference center and 1998-99 leading scorer Amy Scott is back for her junior season on a team filled with underclassmen. Forward Christine Check will be the only Hornet senior in the starting lineup while Karla Wiza will come off the bench and play center. Rosholt may be young, but the team does have varsity experience. Starters Jenna Eschenbach, a junior, (F) and sophomore guards Kate Flick and Natasha Check all saw varsity time as freshmen. The Hornets' top two reserves are sophomores with varsity experience too. Tami Scott (F/G) and Emily Steines (G/F) will probably be the first players off of the bench if they don't push for starting roles during the season. Other players who will see time are junior Gennifer Naumann (F) and sophomores Laine Meuller (G), Katie Kosobucki (G) and Stephanie Wierzba (C). Rosholt kicked off its season Thursday on the road against Weyauwega-Fremont. Despite his team's youth, Rosholt coach Greg Vosz is looking for his team to be among the leaders in the Central Wisconsin Conference's small division. "I hope we can finish near the top," Vosz said. "I know Iola-Scandinavia returns all of their starters and Almond and Port (Edwards) have good ballplayers. I'm just kind of hopeful we can stay with them." Offensively, Vosz said the team needs to get the ball inside to Scott. But if teams double-team the junior, Vosz hopes the Hornets can drain the outside shot. "The kids worked a lot on shooting over the summer," Vosz said. "Hopefully that will help out a lot with our outside shooting." Vosz likes the speed of his young team. "The kids are real quick," Vosz said. "This is probably the fastest team we've had." Vosz said that quickness will help his team play tough man-to-man defense. Another thing that Vosz likes is his team's attitude. "This is the best team I've ever coached (attitude-wise)," he said. "They're just super that way." The Hornets will have to try and replace two key players from last year's team, Dana Domask (who is now playing at Lakeland College) and JoLynn Ferg. "That's our biggest problem. It's tough trying to replace the leaders on the team. Some of the young kids are going to have to step up," Vosz said.