The Centerburg girls’ basketball season is underway, and the team started with a 44-23 win over the Fairbanks Panthers on opening night in a non-conference matchup. They followed with a 54-48 loss to Wynford on Dec. 2 to go 1-1 in the early season.
Last season the Trojans were 9-14 and Coach Bill Abner said that his goal is to win the KMAC this season.
“There's something really special about league championships, especially in the league this year with so many teams who have a legitimate chance to win it,” Abner said. “Off the floor, the goal is to enjoy the moment. The kids don't fully realize all of this will be over in a blink. The seniors are starting to sense it. We must enjoy being together and working for a common goal.”
The team returns most of their key players, including seniors Clara Johnson and Kennedi Glenn. Joining them from last year’s team are juniors Kayla Larimore and Chesnee Fairall; and sophomores Kenlee Fairall, Tiara Sheppard, Evie Stowe and Taylor Bryant.
“This is no longer a team with little to no varsity experience,” Abner said. “Last year, freshmen and sophomores were heavily relied upon to play big minutes. This year, they all understand what varsity basketball is all about. I also love the fact that many of our kids played all spring and summer on good AAU teams.”
This is the first year at head coach for Abner. He has 12 years of coaching under his belt, with six seasons as the JV coach and a varsity assistant at Johnstown. The past three seasons he was at Granville as the chief assistant for the Blue Aces. He has also coached college exposure AAU for a decade, and has run the central Ohio branch of the Buckeye State Blast.
Abner said the players are buying into what the coaches are teaching them, which he admits can be a challenge especially for older players when a new staff comes in. He said the coaches enjoy the group because they are all embracing their roles.
“That makes it really fun,” Abner said. “We have to learn how to win close games. I truly believe this is a learned skill. Last season this group lost seven games by five points or less and that's part of the learning process for such a young team. We have to flip that this season in order to reach our goal.”
Larimore is the team’s top player, coming off a terrific sophomore campaign where she was third in the conference in scoring (12.8 ppg) and in boards (7.6 per game) while making first team All-KMAC. Johnson was honorable mention for All-KMAC, averaging 9.5 points and 2.3 steals. Kenlee Fairall averaged 2.3 steals per game last year and should be a vital part of the defense.
Abner has high hopes for the team this season, and said this is a year where it is anyone’s conference to win.
“Every game in the KMAC is huge for us,” said Abner. “The league is wide open this season so we need to treat every league game like it's a must win. There are no nights off. Obviously we want to win every game we play, but the KMAC games are all circled.”
The first conference matchup is on Dec. 6 against Northmor at home starting at 7:30 p.m.
