Vertacnik focused on return trip to playoffs
The Monessen girls basketball team advanced to the playoffs last year and getting back a second consecutive season is the primary focus for head coach Janine Vertacnik, despite the team鈥檚 inexperience.
鈥淓ven though we are very young, I feel that we can battle for second place in the section,鈥� Vertacnik said of Section 2-A. 鈥淲est Greene has three returning all-section players, but I think we can compete with Geibel, Mapletown and Jefferson-Morgan.
鈥淚 think we should be able to win those games, although they won鈥檛 be easy, and with Avella, we will throw the ball up and see what happens.鈥�
The third-year coach will rely on returning starters, senior guard Sydney Caterino and junior guard Mercedes Majors, although Caterino will be limited early as she recovers from an injury she suffered during the soccer season.
A pair of junior guards, Kinsey Wilson and Zalendria Hardison, look to have a step up for two more starting positions, while the rest of the rotation will be made up of players with no varsity playing time.
Five players, sophomore forward Aaliyah Rice and a quartet of freshmen, guard Sidney Popovich, wing Hailey Johnson and forwards Avanti Stitch and MyAsia Majors, will look to get quality time.
鈥淎 key is how fast the freshmen develop and how much leadership can we get from the upperclassmen,鈥� Vertacnik said. 鈥淎aliyah is learning on the go as it is her first year, but she is the fastest player on the team.鈥�
Vertacnik said the team will be versatile.
鈥淲e can go big or small and could have two freshmen in the lineup,鈥� said Vertacnik. 鈥淭hings will depend on how quick we can mesh and become a cohesive unit.鈥�
Monessen opens the season on Dec. 11 when the Lady Greyhounds host Jeannette.