By Chris Parker
Southwest girls basketball improved its win total from five two years ago to 11 last year. The returning Lady Trojans will look to make it three years in a row with an improved win total.
“Our motto is love and team: we are working on reconnecting to our love for each aspect of the game as well as our teammates,” Southwest head coach Destiny Jalbert said. “We had several lettermen decide not to play this year, and that is disheartening regardless of their reasons. The ones returning are going to have to keep their focus on why they are playing and each other, not on the ones that decided not to play.”
Senior Alexis Raucstadt, junior Allison Harling and sophomore Jaretsi Quintanilla are the three returning players.
Raucstadt is the lone senior on the roster. She scored 3 points per game last season.
“She (Raucstadt) is a defensive powerhouse,” Jalbert said. “She is extremely quick. We are looking for her to be more consistent offensively and to extend her defense and cause more turnovers.”
Harling added in 1.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
“We are expecting her to see more minutes on varsity this year,” Jalbert said. “We are going to need her to be able to handle the ball offensively this year and to stay mentally tough.”
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Quintanilla was dominant in her freshman year averaging 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
“She made her presence known last year as a freshman and this year we expect her to do the same,” Jalbert said. “She will continue to be a force inside, but she has been working hard to extend her game and be an even harder player to match up with.”
Junior Brianna Hufford will be a newcomer to the varsity lineup.
“Bri is quick and causes issues defensively,” Jalbert said. “She gets into people’s pockets very well. Offensively, she cuts and moves very well without the ball. We are going to need her to continue to do this and to finish when we get her the ball.”
Freshmen Addyson Payne, Gracie Swanepoel, Olivia Hnem and Jazmyn Rivas will all see varsity minutes this season.
Southwest opens the regular season Nov. 18-22 at the Verona Tip-Off Classic.
