Lady Raiders hit hard by graduation
Waynesburg Central girls basketball coach Chris Minerd chuckled slightly when asked how he intends to replace a player like Kaley Rohanna.
“Honestly, No. 1, you don’t replace a player like Kaley,” said Minerd, who is in his third season as the Lady Raiders coach.
“Kaley was a generational player, being the second all-time leading scorer in Waynesburg history.”
Rohanna, who finished her high school career with 1,510 points, was part of a strong senior class that also included Josie Horne, Addison Blair and Emma Kindervater, from last year that Minerd had to replace.
“We’re going to miss that whole group,” Minerd said. “They played well for the last four years together, won three section titles and made two state playoff appearances. I don’t like to use the word rebuild but that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
Waynesburg does have one starter back.
“Our only returning starter is Peyton Cowell so we’re going to look to her,” Minerd said. “She’s a junior. Avery Davis is also back. She’s a senior who started some games but was primarily our sixth man. That’s our experience pretty much.
“Peyton is our leader, and really she stepped into a leadership role last year. She is vocal. She’s not afraid to say something that’s on her mind, but she leads by example, too. She’s a hard worker and the girls do tend to follow her.
“Avery is more of a lead-by-example person. She’s going to play the Kaley role where we’re going to have to depend on her for a lot of different things. It’s a different role than she’s used to. Last year I think she felt like she had to prove herself all the time when she was coming off the bench. This year she doesn’t have anything to prove, she just can come out and play like I want her to play.”
The rest of the starting lineup is vastly inexperienced.
“I’ve got 14 girls on the team and that includes three freshmen and three first-year seniors,” Minerd pointed out. “We do have some other seniors that haven’t had significant varsity time and they’re going to get thrust in. They’re Briena Conn and Mya Smith, and I’m expecting to get some minutes from sophomore Chatham Knight. All those girls will be playing significant varsity roles for the first time. That’s what I’m learning towards for our starting five.”
Minerd does have some flexibility with his starters.
“Coon will probably be the point guard sometimes but Avery will as well out of necessity sometimes,” Minerd said. “Me, personally I’d like to see Avery on the wing where she can get more opportunities to shoot and not just try to come down and score. Smith will also be a guard. Chatham and Peyton will be the forwards.
“Mya can play either position and so can Chatham. I’ve got a lot of girls that are versatile so they will play multiple positions. That’s how I teach them anyway so they can be used more in different ways.”
Minerd will look to get what contributions he can from the rest of the cast.
“Allie Midla is a returning junior so I figure she’s probably going to get some minutes as well as Olivia Mills, who’s also a junior,” Minerd said. “I actually did get Jaden Tretinik to come out who was a really good soccer player for us. She’s a senior and hasn’t played basketball before but I do expect her to see some time. Addison Cowell, Peyton’s sister, is a freshman and I’m expecting her to see some minutes as well.
“We’re going to need continuity in our offense. We’re going to need to move the ball well.”
The Lady Raiders tied for the Section 4-AAA championship a year ago but are in Section 3-AAA this season.
“Our section changed a little bit. In my opinion it’s more difficult this year,” Minerd said. “Yough and South Park are out and Seton LaSalle, Washington and Keystone Oaks came in. Then there’s Brownsville, Charleroi, McGuffey and us.
“Of course the goal is always to win the section, but I think If we can make the playoffs that would be a successful season, because most of the teams in our section did not lose what we lost. That’s not an excuse, that’s just the facts. Brownsville and McGuffey both have most of their kids returning. Keystone Oaks made the state playoffs last year as did Seton LaSalle and Washington is always a tough opponent.
“There’s no rest for the weary in our section. We have to be on our toes and ready to play every night.”
Minerd wasn’t sure if was going to return as coach after last season.
“I knew this was going to be one of the most difficult years I’ve faced,” said Minerd, who again will be assisted by Natalie Blair. “I was doubting if I was going to come back after last year.
“Now I’m actually kind of excited for the challenge.”