By Chris Parker
Marion C. Early girls basketball turned a corner last year posting a 17-9 record. It was the first winning record for MCE girls basketball since 2016.
Expectations remain high this year with three seniors providing team leadership and another five players returning behind them.
Libby Painter is the first of those seniors. She earned all-district honors last season after she averaged 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 1.8 assists per game.
“Libby is a four-year varsity starter, who has had quite a bit of point guard experience, and will be expected to lead the team on the floor,” MCE head coach Dustin Gerleman said. “She has a lot of passion and commitment for the game, and we expect that to rub off on other players. She has grown a lot in the past few years, and that should put her in position to show us her leadership skills this season.”
Karley Painter also enters her fourth year as a varsity starter. She averaged 6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.6 assists per game last year.
“Karley is a four-year varsity starter and is one of the hardest workers on the floor,” Gerleman said. “We expect her to continue leading by example, as she is the type of player who gives 100% and makes teammates want to feed off of that energy. We also expect her to be more of a vocal leader this year, as she comes in with quite a bit of experience.”
Olivia Blehm is the third senior that Gerleman identified as a team leader. She averaged 12.4 points, 6 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.4 assists per game last year.
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“Olivia has four years of varsity experience,” Gerleman said. “Olivia is a smart kid and we expect her to bring those qualities to the basketball court this season as one of our leaders.”
Maggie Painter (sophomore guard), Taylor Blehm (sophomore post), Hailey Presley (sophomore forward), Taylor Thompson (senior forward) and Kirsten McKinnis (junior forward) also return for MCE.
Gerleman on Maggie Painter: “Maggie was our starting point guard last season, and is expected to come back with experience and drive to be even better this season. She is a playmaker on both ends of the floor.”
Gerleman on Taylor Blehm: “Taylor was our starting post player last season, and was a great inside presence for us. She is very strong down low and also has great touch on her outside shot.”
Gerleman on Presley: “Hailey started several games last season and gained quite a bit of experience. She works hard in the off-season, and we are looking forward to seeing her improvements this season.
Gerleman on Thompson: “Taylor will bring experience and hard work to the team this season.”
Gerleman on McGinnis: “Kirsten was out most of last season with a back injury. We are hoping she is healed and healthy this season, and she will add some height and good rebounding skills.”
Maggie Painter (5.1 ppg) and Presley (5.1 ppg) were the top scorers among that returning group. They each also contributed 3.5 rebounds per game.
Experience will be an advantage for the Lady Panthers this season.
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“One of our best strengths this year will be experience,” Gerleman said. “We finally have some seniors who have played quite a bit and are ready to lead our team to a successful season. We are also stronger physically, and are excited to see how that helps us this season.”
MCE will host Humansville, Lakeland and Macks Creek for a jamboree on Nov. 16. The Lady Panthers will open the regular season with their home tournament Nov. 29-Dec. 4.
“Our expectations are high,” Gerleman said. “We have a pretty tough schedule, so we’re not sure what that will look like record wise, but we know we can compete and learn a lot from those games. We’re hoping that experience helps develop us into a competitive post season team.”
