By Chris Parker
Galena girls basketball will look for a bounce-back season with key contributors returning from last season’s four-win team.
“I believe our strength will be our speed and our ability to defend,” Galena head coach Kenna Greenway said. “We have some high IQ guards returning and lanky, athletic forwards that should be able to create turnovers and get out and score in the open floor.”
Averi Foster returns as the team’s most productive player from last season. She averaged 17.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.3 steals per game last season.
“Averi is our motor,” Greenway said. “She gets up and guards the opponent’s better players in each game, as well as pushes us offensively. She can score on all three levels and will be looked to for consistency on both ends of the floor. She couldn’t finish out the season last year after a leg injury during the last half of the year, but she is ready to get after it this season.”
Fellow senior Maribelle Martin is the team’s leading returning rebounder at 8 rebounds per game. She also had 6.4 points per game.
“Maribelle is a 6’0 body that is a difficult matchup for teams,” Greenway said. “She has developed quite a bit over the last two years and we look for her to continue to develop.”
Baylee Stacy is a third returning senior for Galena. She averaged 5.2 points per game.
“Baylee is a great outside shooter,” Greenway said. “She sometimes doesn’t get enough credit, though, for her basketball IQ and her ability to facilitate to her teammates. She anticipates things well and has a knack for creating turnovers.”
Melanie Rice, a standout junior volleyball player, returns to the basketball team after not playing last season.
“Mel played her freshman year and took her sophomore year off,” Greenway said.
“She is back this year and we are very excited to have her back in the lineup. She is super athletic and can play 1-5 with her height and ability. We look for her to make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.”
Jaiona Bailey is a sophomore guard who returns after averaging 3.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a freshman.
“Jaiona was thrown into being our point guard as a freshman when Averi was hurt, and she did a great job,” Greenway said. “She handles pressure well and has a great mid-range shot. We will look for her to continue to develop as a point guard as well as looking for more opportunities to score.”
Briana Carr, a sophomore forward, rounds out the returning players. She averaged 5.4 rebounds per game.
“Last season was Bri’s first season playing basketball since youth basketball,” Greenway said. “She improved leaps and bounds throughout the year and we will look for her to be more impactful this year on the offensive end, while still maintaining her intensity on the defensive end.”
Senior forward Kiley Evans is a newcomer to the program.
“Kiley is a newcomer to the basketball team but has been active in volleyball and softball throughout her high school career,” Greenway said. “We are very excited to add her into our rotation this season and give us good minutes at the four spot.”
Health will be key for Galena.
“First, staying healthy and keeping our numbers up will be the biggest difference in last year and this season,” Greenway said. “But we really have to take better care of the ball. We turned it over quite a bit last year being young and short-handed, so we will try to do a better job of cherishing each possession.”
Galena opens the season Dec. 2-7 at the Crane Tournament.
“I keep saying this, but I really will be most proud of this team when we can be competitive in games that we weren’t last year,” Greenway said. “If we compete well on the defensive end and take better care of the ball on the other end, I believe we will enjoy a much more successful season.”
