By Chris Parker
Greenfield girls’ basketball finished 16-10 last year. The 16 wins were the most since the Wildcats won 17 games back in 2012.
Last year’s team was young with just two of the eight varsity players being seniors. The four leading scorers were comprised of three freshmen and one junior.
“First off, I’d just like to say I have a really great group of kids right now and that is the biggest part of our success,” Greenfield head coach Loganne Hickman said. “Our team has a heavy sophomore class and I’ve thankfully coached that group since their seventh grade year. Because of this, they are used to my system and style of doing things, terminology, everything from practice prep to game day, they knew exactly what I expected and our programs goals. Do you know how awesome it is to have a group of freshman come in and have no transition period to high school practice style? It’s a game changer. We were able to compete from practice Day 1. Having that group prepped through junior high allowed us to roll quickly into the high school game.”
Marlie Wright led the Wildcats in scoring last year as a freshman at 13 points per game. She also had 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game.
“Marlie has a competitor’s mentality so that mixed with her ability to shoot the basketball allowed her to impact the game from the start,” Hickman said. “Her aggression level has grown. She hit some camps and showcases this summer, and I’ve noticed her inside out game has improved. Marlie has always been a nice outside shooter, but she’s become more comfortable putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. Her finishing strength has improved this off season.”
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Morgan Wright returns as the team’s lone senior. She was third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game last year. She will run the point.
“I look for her to be the leader for us defensively while being floor captain at point guard,” Hickman said.
Trista Torres had a strong freshman year at shooting guard finishing second on the team in scoring at 9.2 ppg along with pulling down 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game.
“Trista had a really nice freshman season and I think this has positively impacted her confidence levels,” Hickman said. “She has played with a new found level of desire and sureness throughout summer ball and it showed in her game stats. I’m excited to see her continue to grow.”
The sophomore trio of Tatum Torres, Jasmine Feezel and Haley Gosset round out the returning players. Tatum Torres was the team’s leading rebounder last year with 5.1 rebounds per game.
Senior Ashley Daniel is back for her senior season after missing last year.
“I look for Ashley to have a high impact on the defensive side of the floor,” Hickman said. “Ashley is quick and will work her tail of for you, and I’m excited to add another spark of energy to our lineup.”
Last year’s motto will continue to inspire the team this year.
“Last season we fed off the motto ‘Refuse to Lose.’ I look for that mentality to remain the same. The girls know that we are set on building a culture here at Greenfield and our goal is to leave a winning legacy in the process,” Hickman said.
Greenfield begins its quest for a 20-win season and a deep postseason run on Nov. 20 at home against RUSH.
“I look for us to pick up right where we left off. We’ve set goals for a 20-win season and the past two years we’ve inched closer and closer to that goal,” Hickman said. “I’d really love sending my seniors off with that under their belts. They’ve done tremendous things for our program, but that would just be the icing on the cake. I think we have the tools and personnel to get there, we just won’t be able to have any lulls or down weeks the way our schedule is set. I expect these girls to keep making a name for themselves and our girls’ athletics programs.”
