Last year’s big gun is gone.
But the roles have changed – gunner candidates abound – and there’s plenty of ammunition left for the Montezuma Bravettes to share.
“We lost some great seniors, and we will look different,” said Montezuma Bravettes girls basketball coach Janel Burgess.
The big gun last year was Shateah Wetering, who took her 20-plus points a game – and her speed – to the University of Iowa.
Strong programs tend to reload, not rebuild.
“We’ll do it within our own capabilities this year,” Burgess said.
The Bravettes were 23-2 last season. They lost to North Mahaska during the middle of the season, and to St. Ansgar in the quarterfinals at state.
The Bravettes start the season ranked eighth by the Associated Press, and third by BCMoore’s power rankings.
“We’ll still be solid defensively,” Burgess said. “And we still have shooters. Shooters are always tough do defend.”
Burgess told KGRN’s Chris Varney about her team’s outlook during a recent interview.
The Bravettes were scheduled to open their regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at home against Pella Christian. They get to evaluate that result, then prepare to play at North Mahaska on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
“Our JV program prepares our girls to step into roles,” Burgess said, indicating that new roles this year will include more scoring for some players.
“We have four tremendous seniors,” Burgess said. “We had a tremendous month of July, including a pair of scrimmages right near the end of the month.”
One of the four seniors is 5-5 Elise Boulton, a three-year starter and the program’s all-time three-point shooter.
She knocked down 74 from long range last season, when she averaged 12.7 points and 3.0 assists. Burgess said she’ll be at point guard or small forward this year. Elise had six assists in the jamboree last week against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. That’s a ton of assists in just 16 minutes of play.
Another senior is 5-10 forward Dylan Holland, who averaged 5.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. And she shot .620 from the field. She, Burgess said, has made strides.
“Dylan has developed in so many ways,” Burgess said. “Even at guard,” she added.
A third senior is 5-7 guard Kierstyn Price. “She knows what needs to be done out of the floor,” Burgess said.
A fourth senior: 5-6 guard Alyssa Cline. “She is a tremendous kid and leader,” said the coach.
Two underclassmen are returning varsity mainstays: Junior forward Shanae Wetering and sophomore guard Mia Boulton.
Shanae was listed at 5-8 in the program, “but she has grown, at least two inches,” Burgess said. Wetering averaged 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds last season.
Boulton, 5-3, averaged 4.9 points. She showed a very quick release on her outside shot in the jamboree and made a pair of three-pointers in that contest.
“We can field a really tall lineup, or go smaller to contain people,” Burgess said.
Dealing with COVID will be an important issue this season, said the coach. “We may need to use younger kids from time to time, but we’ll try to put them where they can have success,” Burgess said.
“Success for us will mean getting rebounds and controlling the inside,” said the coach. “We’ve got to be shot-makers, not shot-takers,” Burgess said. “The key is to set up our teammates.”
FIRST UP: PELLA CHRISTIAN – On Tuesday, Nov. 24 – JV/Varsity girls doubleheader, at home. Pella Christian was 5-19 last season, featuring a returning post player, 6-2 Allison Van Gorp. She averaged 14.7 points last season, shot .507 from the field and pulled down 11.3 rebounds per game. Otherwise, Pella Christian is a pretty young team.
The Varsity Bravettes
Seniors
Kierstyn Price, 5-7, guard
Alyssa Cline, 5-6, guard
Elise Boulton, 5-5, guard
Dylan Holland, 5-10, forward
Juniors
Shanae Wetering, 5-8, forward
Korrinn Kehoe, 5-9, forward
Sophomores
Madison Johannes, 5-3, guard
Mia Boulton, 5-3, guard
Abby Cheney, 5-1, guard
Kallie Robison, 5-10, forward
Freshmen
Jadyn Sharer, 5-7, guard
Makenna Johannes 5-0, guard
Alivia Cline, 5-4, guard