The Montezuma Bravettes varsity basketball team went 20-5 last season, which included a 13-2 record in SICL play, which shared the league’s top spot with North Mahaska and Lynnville-Sully.
Fortunately, graduation didn’t leave the cupboard bare.
Left over are five girls who saw considerable action last year.
“We have 14 young ladies who are eager to give to each other and represent the Bravette uniform in a passionate, hard-working way,” said Head Coach Janel Burgess.
“The first five to six days of the season have been filled with competitiveness, smiles, growth and high energy,” the coach said.
“We return a large portion of our scoring and that has enabled our varsity program to implement a strong foundation through our first week together,” Burgess said.
“Our JV players have been working hard on fundamentals and learning all facets of the game, which has been fun to watch,” she said.
Key returnees:
Ellen Cook, 5-6 senior guard. Ellen averaged 13.7 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and had a 1.65 assists-to-turnovers ratio. She had 99 assists in 25 games, and was a 65-percent free throw shooter.
Shiressa Wetering. 5-11 senior forward. She averaged 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. She shot 50 percent from the field, and 64 percent from the line.
Vivian Cook, 5-4 sophomore guard. She averaged 9.0 points and was a 39 percent field goal shooter.
Claire Erselius, 5-6 junior guard. She scored 7.1 points per contest and shot 33 percent from the field and 63 percent from the line.
Sydnee Burgess, 5-11 sophomore forward. She averaged 2.7 points and 4 rebounds per game. She was a 47 percent free throw shooter and dished 46 total assists.
Here are the rest of the Bravettes, as of Nov. 14:
Rylee Thompson, 5-0 sophomore guard;
Lauryn Larmore, 5-2 freshman guard;
Ryanne Williams, 5-6 freshman forward;
Sophia Semprini, 5-6 freshman forward;
Lindsey Henry, 5-7 junior guard;
Letisia Wilson, 5-6 sophomore forward;
Alexa Rose, 5-4 freshman guard;
Mya Smothers, 5-6 sophomore guard;
Khloe Krouse, 5-3 sophomore forward.
“Our primary goal each night will be to play with a collective heart that displays a blue collar, fun-loving style of play,” Burgess said.
“Let the fun begin as we start with four amazing opponents right away,” she said.
The girls opened with a jamboree at Lynnville-Sully on Monday, Nov. 18. They were scheduled to play PCM for a half of basketball starting at 6 p.m.
The regular season opener will be a JV/varsity doubleheader at North Mahaska on Friday, Nov. 22, at 6 p.m.
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the girls will host Pella Christian for a JV/varsity doubleheader.
And on Saturday, Nov. 30, they’ll play Maquoketa Valley at 5:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Community College.
The boys basketball team and wrestlers open a little later, so we’ll have stories about them in coming issues.