By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Springfield Catholic Lady Irish made significant strides in the win column last season.
The Lady Irish finished 16-11 overall and 5-1 in the Big 8 East (co-champions) in 2021-2022, their first winning season since 2017.
“We got stronger as a team as the season went on,” said Mike Foley, who enters his third season as Catholic’s head coach. “We won our first game in the district tournament since 2015.”
That win was a 47-45 quarterfinal victory over Buffalo before a semifinal loss to eventual district champion California.
“Our goal as a team is to challenge/compete with every team we play and to increase our win total again this year,” Foley said.
Catholic graduated two starters and three more seniors from last year’s squad, including starters Avery Swisshelm and Avery Ahlstrand, as well as Grace Wohlgemuth, Jordyn Howe and Kyleigh Pfitzner.
Back for the Lady Irish are Katie Galligos, Olivia Swisshelm and Peyton Wiseman.
• Katie Galligos, 5-foot-6, junior point guard. Earned second-team all-conference honors and was named to the Big 8 East all-defensive team and the all-district team. “Good shooter, ballhandler, defender and leader,” Foley said.
• Olivia Swisshelm, 5-6, junior guard. “Good shooter, who attacks the basket well and gets out and runs the floor.”
• Peyton Wiseman, 5-6, sophomore guard. A second-team all-conference selection. “Good shooter, fierce rebounder for her size and strong defender.”
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“These three guards averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals a game, and each led the team in scoring on several nights,” Foley said. “They have gotten stronger, faster and more experienced and will be tough for opponents to handle.”
Newcomers whom Foley thinks will contribute this season are Avery Bowler and Lila Griesemer.
• Avery Bowler, 5-6, senior guard/forward. “Avery is a very talented athlete and will be a nice fit with the three other guards,” Foley said. “She is our toughest defender and should make a huge impact.”
• Lila Griesemer, 5-10, sophomore forward/center. “Lila played some good minutes as a freshman. She shoots well and is learning to run the floor as our No. 5 and will only get stronger as the season progresses.”
“We played in several shootouts this summer and have been lifting and shooting this fall,” Foley said. “Most of our players are involved in fall sports and have working with those teams as well.”
The Lady Irish open their season on the road at Glendale on Nov. 18 and will then compete in the Fair Grove Invitational Tournament on Nov. 28-Dec. 2.
“This year’s returnees gained a lot of varsity experience last season and they should be more mentally ready for this season than in the past,” Foley said. “Our expectations are to compete for conference and district championships.”
