Team photo courtesy of Inter-State Studio

Returning four of five starters from a team that finished 10–10 last season, the Salina South Lady Cougars will rely on continuity and a productive offseason to guide them through the early stages of an unusually structured start to this year.

“Returning eight seniors and a lot of girls who have been in the program for three to four years allows us to hit the ground running and be ahead of where we’ve been in the past during our first few weeks of practice,” said fifth year girls’ basketball coach Justin Ebert.

Those eight seniors include Sophie Daily, Isabelle Maxton, Lauren Crow, Promyce McNeal and returning starters Elle Barth, Brooklyn Jordan, Brylee Moss and Paityn Fritz.

The Lady Cougars will be reminded of what they have on the court immediately, playing three games in three days in the Salina South early season basketball tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. South already knows the three teams they will face in Liberal, McPherson and an important league contest with Campus.

The Lady Cougars struggled to find consistency during the early parts of last season and they were forced to make up for it during a difficult league schedule that never allowed them to win consistently. Coach Ebert has stressed the importance of a fast start and believes his team has the right motivation to play their best.

“We have eight girls that are coming back for their last season of high school basketball,” Ebert said. “So the excitement is through the roof. It’s a little different energy than maybe we’ve had in years past.”

The bulk of Salina South’s scoring punch returns this season, led by top scorer Paityn Fritz, who averaged 15 points per game as a junior. The Cougars also bring back their two leaders in made three-pointers, Brylee Moss and Brooklyn Jordan.

One new wrinkle for this year’s squad will be at point guard. Coach Ebert plans to hand the offense to sophomore Kyla Hamel, who was thrust into the spotlight last season when Jordan missed time in the second half of the year. In those starts, Hamel proved she could keep the offense flowing. Her emergence will allow Jordan to shift off the ball, where she can hunt more spot-up opportunities as one of South’s top shooters.

But even with the offensive pieces in place, Ebert wants to see improvement from his team defensively and in their ability to rebound consistently.

“We’ve stressed crashing the boards, specifically offensive rebounds,” said Ebert. “We’ve made some adjustments in practice and I think our girls have really bought in.”

The expectation is that this group will send its seniors out with a bang. For Coach Ebert—who has coached them for four years and followed their progress even longer—their determination to finish their high school careers on a high note is what he looks forward to most this season.

“This senior class has been part of our program for four years and came in with a lot of success in middle school and even before,” Ebert said. “I’m excited to see how they take on this season and do something special to finish their careers.”

The Lady Cougars open up the season on Thursday against Liberal at South High School.