By Chris Parker
Salem girls basketball returns four starters and six of eight letterwinners from last year’s 16-win team, which has expectations high for the Lady Tigers.
They will look to a quartet of upperclassmen for leadership.
Leading the returning players is senior Bella Jadwin. Jadwin is a two-time first-team all-conference selection. She averaged 9.7 points, 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game last year.
“Bella is our point guard and floor general,” Salem head coach Jake Reardon said. “The team depends on her to get the team going on both sides of the ball.”
Juniors Ashton Bowers and Savannah Manthey also return after earning all-conference honors last year. They were each named honorable mention all-conference. Bowers led the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game while Manthey was just behind her at 13.2 points per game.
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“(They) really have different styles of play, but we depend on them to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to offense productivity,” Reardon said. “They have to make shots for us. This is a stressful job but they both do a great job of it.”
Avery Erway is the final piece of Salem’s leadership core. She led Salem in rebounding as a sophomore with 6.8 per game.
“Erway is our motor,” Reardon said. “She is a high energy player. She leads by example, works hard on defense and rebounding.”
These four players bring the experience needed to make a deep postseason run.
“All four of these girls have been starting and playing varsity since their freshmen years,” Reardon said. “They trust each other and do what they have to, to win basketball games.”
Senior Allison Manthey, junior Cayleigh Moody and sophomore Fayth Kaminski and Kylee Wood round out the varsity roster.
Reardon on Manthey: “Allison has good speed and helps us on defense.”
Reardon on Moody: “Moody has played varsity the last two years. She is a solid defender that can make the three. She has a good understanding of the game which helps her be effective.”
Reardon on Kaminski: “Fayth had a great summer. (She) really worked hard and gives us some size at the post. She will continue to get better and makes us better.”
Reardon on Wood: “Wood Really surprised us this summer. She proved she can play varsity and help the team win. She is a solid defender and will make the right decision on the offense.”
This year’s team will have good chemistry and do all of the little things right.
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“This group has played a lot of ball. They love the game and most of them can’t get enough,” Reardon said. “We don’t turn the ball over very much. We are solid on the defensive side. And we are not scared to shoot from anyplace on the floor.”
Salem will open the regular season at Northwest (Cedar Hill) on Nov. 19.
