Building the Program: Girls’ Basketball Preview

Coming off an impressive 19-8 season, the girls’ basketball team has undergone some changes. They’re losing some valuable seniors, but most notably, the team has a new head coach. Kat Martin is a former SLU women’s assistant coach and is in her first season as a high school head coach. The team is still looking strong and ready to compete once games begin. They’ll look to build off and improve upon last year’s progress, where they went from a struggling program to a team that started to know how to win.

Along with new coaching staff, losses of five graduated players will test the depth of the young roster this season. The team consists of only eight players, but in many cases in basketball, quality is a lot better than quantity. The eight players are spread throughout all levels of high school; there are two seniors, a junior, three sophomores, and two freshmen.

Carsyn Beachy is accompanied by Macey Lottmann as the team’s seniors. They will both play big roles in the backcourt helping run the offense and play lockdown defense. Beachy dealt with some injuries last season, and although she played through it last year, she will have a better season this year should she stay healthy. Lottmann has been a very consistent player on the team for the last few years, and she will be relied upon heavily as a perimeter player as the season goes on.

Marty Briner is the class of 2021’s lone representative, playing the power forward position. Briner will take on a bigger role this season and with stellar defense and a good shot, she has all the tools for a breakout year.

Hailing from the most athletic grade in the building are sophomores Brooke Highmark, Reilly Brophy, and Carlie Vick. Highmark lit it up last year as a freshman, raining threes all over the greater Saint Louis area. She has the skills and the drive to become a special player that other teams fear, and many teams are already terrified of her. For Brophy, it is a fresh start because she was injured for the better part of her freshman season. She will bring a high level of intensity and competition to keep the team chugging. Vick will be stepping into a new role with some bigger responsibility this season as the starting center. Her inside game will be hard for other teams to compete with.

Julia Coleman and Sydney Bradley round out the roster from the freshman class. Coleman will be competing for a starting position at forward as the year goes on. Bradley will be a nice piece to the team coming off the bench.

In all, there may not be a ton of players on the team, but the eight players all bring something different to the table this season. Last season, the team lost in the district championship game. This season, there is no telling how far they could go. They have the potential to make a run at a state title with a new coach and developing core.