SALAMANCA — With a few seniors there to lead the way, this will be a season of learning for the rest of the Salamanca High School girls basketball team.
Jillian Rea and Morgan Maybee are the two lone returning seniors, though Maybee is out at least for now after a major knee injury suffered during the spring volleyball season.
“Jillian Rea I look to have big things happen for her this year, she’s definitely going to be our leader,” coach Bryelle Wallin said. “Morgan Maybee hopefully will be back at some point, she’s coming off of an ACL injury but after that we are all juniors and sophomores, we’re very young. So that in itself is exciting.”
Candidly, Wallin said she will need a bit of “everything” from Rea this year.
“I need her to do some scoring, I need her to just be my voice on the court and I honestly just need her to rally the girls, to keep them together throughout the season because it’s not going to be an easy one,” Wallin said. “I mean, COVID’s still a thing and we’re going to have to overcome those adversities. But I definitely look for her to do a lot of things overall.”
Salamanca opened practice last Monday and has its first varsity game Friday, Dec. 3. Until, the Warriors are taking a back to basics approach.
“I’m really hoping in the first couple weeks here to get back to fundamentals, and we’re really, really going to focus on defense and our conditioning,” Wallin said. “Because my bench isn’t very deep, I need those skills to be on point. But overall I just want to see what we can do. I think we’re a young, energetic, athletic team and I think if we can put the pieces together I think we’ll be OK.”
ZeRyahRay Jimerson and Eva Dowdy are also seniors on the squad. Juniors on the team include Aubrey Hogan and Makenzie Oakes. Lezly McComber, Karina Mirles-Crouse, Shea Monahan and Bella Wolfe make up a big sophomore class for the Warriors.
After an 0-14 season, Wallin only sees opportunity for the Warriors to improve this winter.
“The goal every year is to be better in March than we are right now,” Wallin said. “So if we’ve shown those improvements, if defensively we’re keeping teams in check, I think that will be a success. Obviously everybody wants to win some basketball games and we can only get better than last year, so I think if we win a little over .500 percent of our games and we’re just better than we are right now.”
Salamanca moved to a CCAA division including Pine Valley, Ellicottville, Cattaraugus-Little Valley and Franklinville and hopes to be more competitive this year.
Wallin tried to get a head start on the younger players’ development with some offseason work.
“I took a group of them, the younger kids, the freshmen and sophomores, up to a tournament at NCCC,” she said. “It was a good growing experience. And then we had a few open gyms over the summer and then we had some open gyms in the weeks leading up to this.”
So far, the younger group has earned praise from its coach for a willingness to work and embrace the game of basketball.
“That’s the nice thing with my young kids, that’s all they’ve heard from me for the last couple of years and a majority of them were with me last year,” Wallin said. “So I think they’re ready to do the work. Time will tell but right now they seem like they’re ready. We’re a little out of shape but we’ll get there.”
2021-22 SALAMANCA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
DECEMBER
3 — at Cassadaga Valley, 6 p.m.
7 — at Gowanda, 7:30 p.m.
10-11 — Maple Grove Tournament
14 — at Dunkirk, 7:30 p.m.
17 — Forestville, 7:30 p.m.
22 — at Franklinville, 7:30 p.m.
JANUARY
4 — Cassadaga Valley, 6 p.m.
7 — at Ellicottville, 7:30 p.m.
11 — at Cattaraugus-Little Valley, 7:30 p.m.
14 — at North Collins, 6 p.m.
19 — Pine Valley, 7:30 p.m.
25 — Gowanda, 7:30 p.m.
28 — at Forestville, 7:30 p.m.
31 — Franklinville, 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY
3 — Ellicottville, 7:30 p.m.
7 — Cattaraugus-Little Valley, 7:30 p.m.
10 — North Collins, 6 p.m.
15 — at Pine Valley, 7:30 p.m.
17 — Dunkirk, 7:30 p.m.
