Basketball Preview 2016

Baker Must Replace 50 Percent of the Scoring

By RICK THORP WOODSFIELD — Find your role and fill it to the best of your ability. That’s the challenge Troy Baker has offered to members of his Monroe Central girls’ basketball team as they embark on the 2016-17 campaign, which begins tonight at home vs. county rival River. ‘‘One of the keys will be everybody fitting into their role,’’ Baker said. ‘‘Last year, we were 13-11 and in the middle of the road in the PVC (Pioneer Valley Conference). But we have some experience coming back, so we’re not completely raw. ‘‘A key will be our defense. We ...

New Era Begins as Perkins Takes Over Seminoles

By RICK THORP WOODSFIELD — A new era has been ushered in at Monroe Central. Jon Perkins, a former junior high and jayvee coach in the district, is the new head boys’ basketball coach, replacing ‘‘Scooter’’ Tolzda, who left for Meadowbrook in the offseason. And, yes, the Seminoles program will have a different look to it this winter. But while Perkins is a semi-new face to the program, he does bring with him a solid coaching acumen that he believes is a good fit with the players returning. ‘‘It’s been a good start,’’ he said. ‘‘We have a lot ...

Hornets Hit Hard By Graduation

By BUBBA KAPRAL HUNDRED — Graduation took a heavy toll on the Hundred Hornets. Coach Virgil Wilkins lost a boat-load of talent. Gone are six players from last year’s six-win team, including several key pieces. Picking up their diplomas last spring were Greg Jones, Joseph Mars, Holden Moore, Aaron Kolat, Logan Moore and Andrew King. Holden Moore was the Hornets’ leading scorer while King ran the show as the team’s point guard. The 6-foot-4 Mars, meanwhile, supplied the Hornets with a post presence. The cupboard is not totally empty, albeit much is young ...

Lumberjacks Look to Reload

By BUBBA KAPRAL PINE GROVE — Valley enjoyed a successful 2015-16 season, gaining a berth in the OVAC Class A Tournament. Despite the loss of three primetime players, the Lumberjacks are looking for another winning campaign this winter. Valley lost a dynamic and prolific backcourt through graduation. Point guard Trey Streets and shooting guard Tucker Cain were both 1,000-point scorers. Joe Preat, a 14-point-a-game producer and solid rebounder, also picked up a diploma. Such losses could be catastrophic to most small-school programs. Veteran Lumberjacks boss John Kocher is ...

Valley Hopes to Get Back to OVAC Tourney

By BUBBA KAPRAL PINE GROVE — The Valley Lumberjills are poised for a successful season. The Pine Grove-based team qualified for the OVAC Class A Tournament last winter, dropping a tough 62-59 road semifinal verdict to eventual champion St. John Central. The Lumberjills return many key components from that squad. Leading the way is one of the OVAC’s premier point guards in Sophie Palmer. The lightning-quick junior is one of those players who makes their teammates better. Palmer possesses a nice long-range shooting touch to go with an uncanny ability to get to the ...

3 Starters Back For the Bishops

By TRACY WATSON McMECHEN — Entering his third season on the bench with Bishop Donahue, Coach Shawn Martin was expecting to have all five of his starters back for the 2016-17 season. That isn’t going to happen with one player transferring and another opting to play a different sport, but Martin still has a pretty good three-girl nucleus to build around. “I have three returning starters and there are also three seniors on the roster who have been with me all three seasons I have been here,” Martin said. “I felt like we took a big step forward with the program last ...