D10 Season Preview/Comments: Celtics Look Strong In Early Going

We’re about one week into the D10 senior girls’ campaign, and at this point, it looks as though the balance of power has shifted back from the “AAAA” schools to the “AA/AAA” schools.

Last year, two of those “AAAA” schools, Guelph JF Ross and Fergus Centre Wellington, met in the D10 final, with CWDHS prevailing.  However, the Falcons’ top two scorers, league MVP Erica McFadden and Jaime Janssen, both graduated --- leaving a couple of huge holes for the Falcons to fill.

Here’s a quick rundown of the D10 league:

Projected Order of Finish

1.  Bishop Mac

2.  Lourdes

3.  St. James

4.  JF Ross

5.  Guelph CVI

6.  Centennial

7.  CWDHS

8.  Orangeville 

Mark’s Thoughts

Bishop Mac

The drop-off at Bishop Mac won’t be nearly as drastic as you might have initially thought given the loss of a couple of key scorers from last year’s team (Tesha Kraszkiewicz & Rebecca Keil).  Returning forward Andrea Priamo will couple with veterans Katie Labron and Rebecca Morris, while rookie Jess Morris should add to the depth of the squad.

“There’s lots of depth to BMac’s squad this year, which will help provide some entertaining basketball,” said Head Coach Karen Bremner.  It’s certainly been entertaining to this point for Celtic fans, as their squad is 2-0 in league play after a big win over St. James, a projected “top 4” team in the league.

Lourdes

A mix of returning veterans (Hannah Pearsall) and incoming rookies such as Charlotte Case and Monica Trimble will definitely help the Crusaders impove upon a 6-8 record in 2011.

Early indications show BMac as, arguably, the team to beat --- but Lourdes’ youth provides it with a lot of upside and perhaps the most “potential” to grow as a team before the D10 playoffs in November.

St. James

Despite losing their D10 all-stars to graduation (Erica Zen & Jade McGarr), there are several returning starters and some incoming talent from the junior level that should keep the Lions very competitive within the D10 league as well as “AAA” CWOSSA.   

Brittany & Chelsey Gazzola, Keeley McVicar, and Ashley Benham are the primary offensive threats to watch for.

JF Ross

The Royals actually return a decent percentage of their scoring offense from last year, as their starting backcourt (D10 All-Stars Sydney Resch & Julia Robertson) returns from a year ago.  They’ll certainly miss the individual traits that the other starters from a year ago brought --- from athleticism (Kelly Dunk) to interior presence (Emily Collins) and guard-play (Silvie Cafarella).

Rookies Teddi Taran and Steph Gordon will be counted upon to step in and fill those gaps.

Guelph CVI

With returning D10 all-star Hanna Chidwick, and veterans Katie Strongman and Jamie Young leading the way, a “top 4” finish is certainly not out of the question for the Green Gaels.

In order to keep that as a possibility, GCVI will need to “take care of business” against the teams mentioned below --- one thing that they started doing last week with a 55-49 win over Centennial.

Centennial CVI

Coach Jack Bangay only lost one player to graduation, so he should see some improvement from a 2-12 record a year ago.

Veterans Hannah Ferguson, Kendra Achonwa and Odessa Grant-Esco will lead the way for the Spartans, with Hannah Newman being the top junior grad.

Centre Wellington Falcons

Veteran Hailey Salvian and grade 11s Chloe Trapp and Madison Fennell (who was moved up to the senior squad during the playoffs) should be able to put together a few wins for the Falcons from Fergus.

That being said, it may take a little while for the new pieces to gel offensively, so the defensive intensity will be key in the early going for this squad.

Orangeville DSS Bears

The Bears are currently in the midst of a 43-game D10 losing streak, which dates back to October, 2008.

That being said, I have a feeling that this year may see an end to that streak, at least based upon fairly competitive early returns.

Claire Fenton should average in double-digits for the Bears this season, and pick up another spot on the D10 All-Star team.