GIRLS' PREVIEWS: Eagles seeking good health, players to step forward

Saturday, October 27, 2018
South Putnam's Caitlin Capps, the team's only senior, helps bring the ball upcourt last year.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

South Putnam has won the last two sectional titles, but will be missing some key pieces from those teams this season.

Graduated guards Lillie Stein (Franklin College) and Miranda Bieghler (Manchester University) are 1,000-point scorers who have advanced to the next level, while feisty Ally Nichols did not score that many points but was a defensive sparkplug for the Eagles.

“Obviously this year we have lost three great players,” coach Brian Gardner said. “It’s definitely a change, and we have to find different girls to take up different roles on the offensive end, as well as find someone for Ally’s role defensively. We are still trying to figure out that, but we have had interesting battles there.”

Senior center Caitlin Capps and junior guard Lexi Vanihel are two of the most experienced returning players, although both have had injury problems so far this fall.

Capps averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds last year, while Vanihel scored 9.5 points per game and grabbed 6.5 rebounds.

“Caitlin is just getting back to where she can do some things, and she and Lexi were a big part of what we have been able to do,” Gardner said. “Having Alex Bratcher back as another junior is also very helpful. Sophomore Chloe Custis stepped up as a freshman last year and got some good minutes last year.”

Gardner also pointed to sophomores Alex Steffy, Macie Bumgardner and Brionna Egold as people who will need to step up.

Sophomore Bree Mahoney-Sutherland and junior Jersee Crewes (a transfer from Cascade) are post players who Gardner thinks can help to spell Capps or play alongside her.

“Between those groups, it’s going to be an interesting mix this year,” he said. “This is one of those years where the early games are going to be a better telltale sign of where the roles go to. In the past, a lot of times I already knew how those roles would be filled.”

Stein and Bieghler averaged nearly 30 points a game between them last year, and Garner thinks he may have more balanced scoring this time around.

“Our leading scorer could be a different person every night, and that’s OK,” Gardner said. “We’re going to have to take what we are given, and how teams play us. That’s our biggest key this year, to take what the other teams give us.”

Gardner thinks defense was a big key last year.

“We may not be as sharp as our veteran teams in the past, but our younger players know what we are trying to do,” he said. “Those sophomores have not been through the ‘varsity wars’ as I like to call it. They will get better as they get used to the higher level of competition.

“I’m excited early on to see how things go with our new kids adapting to the speed of the game,” he said. “Our first three games are against Cloverdale, Parke Heritage and Edgewood, so we’ll find out what we have pretty quickly.”

The Eagles have not been able to practice in their home gymnasium this fall, since the floor is being replaced.

The exact finish date of the floor is not yet known, but the opener against Cloverdale is expected to be played at Central Elementary where the team has been practicing.

“It’s an adjustment, but it’s not too bad,” Gardner said. “We practice here sometimes when the boys go after school. What that does for us is to learn how to deal with adversity and change, which you have to do throughout the season. When our gym is done, it’s done, and we will be excited to play there when it’s done.”

Gardner agrees with his colleagues that the road to winning titles is not going to be easy.

“The county teams are all going to be strong, with Greencastle and Cloverdale having a lot of players back and North Putnam continuing to improve,” he said. “Jarrod has done a good job of getting them to the next level, and it’s going to be good basketball against any of the four county schools.

“In the conference, you take the county schools and add the other strong teams and it’s also going to be a challenge.”

Gardner agreed the sectional will also be tough, with teams such as Monrovia and Western Boone.

“It’s going to be a challenge, and our girls want that challenge,” he said. “You need to be competitive and compete every night, and that’s been really good so far. It’s been a positive start, and they’re going hard.”

Gardner likes the aspect of getting to work with his team in the summer.

“They like each other, and they push each other,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t want to push each other because they like each other too much. You have to push to the next level. The only way to do that is to go harder against each other.”

The Cloverdale game in the regular season was previously the final game, but the schools moved it up to avoid the possibility of playing three times in a short span to end the season.

“Our kids are excited to start the season with Cloverdale, and having a chance to play that early against a county rival is a challenge,” he said. “It’s a challenge for both teams, and we’re going to be excited to get going right out of the gate and see where we are.”

2018-19 roster

PlayerYr.
4 Chloe CustisSo.
10 Grace BurdgeSo.
11 Sabrina LeonardFr.
12 Lilly VittetowFr.
13 Brionna EgoldSo.
20 Alex BratcherJr.
21 Lexi VanihelJr.
22 Ava McHughSo.
23 Macie BumgardnerSo.
24 Jersee CrewesJr.
25 Riley WallaceFr.
30 Audrey EllettFr.
32 Alex SteffySo.
33 Caitlin CappsSr.
35 Sarah JonesFr.
40 Bree Mahoney-SutherlandSo.

Coach: Brian Gardner

2017-18 results (19-6)

Rockville, W 54-50

Edgewood, W 57-52

Cloverdale, W 55-50

Greencastle, L 33-32

at Southmont, W 60-30

South Vermillion, W 46-44

North Putnam, W 46-29

Clay City, W 63-54

at Greencastle, L 63-58 (OT)

Owen Valley, L 60-46

West Vigo, W 73-24

at Cascade, L 55-52

University, W 64-53 (at Monrovia)

at Monrovia, W 47-37

at Shakamak, W 67-44

at Sullivan, W 67-57

Riverton Parke, W 69-34

Eminence, W 92-23

at Northview, L 47-41

at Cascade, W 49-41

at North Central, W 62-58

at Cloverdale, W 61-45

Sectional

Western Boone, W 54-53

Cascade, W, 64-55

Regional

Triton Central, L 54-42

2018-19 schedule

(Game times 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise)

Oct. 30 — Cloverdale

Nov. 6 — at Parke Heritage

Nov. 9 — at Edgewood

Nov. 16 — County tourney vs. Cloverdale

Nov. 19 — Southmont

Nov. 28 — at South Vermillion

Nov. 30 — at North Putnam, 6 p.m.

Dec. 4 — at Clay City

Dec. 7 — Greencastle, 6 p.m.

Dec. 10 — at Owen Valley

Dec. 14 — at West Vigo, 6 p.m.

Dec. 15 — Cascade, 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Monrovia Tournament, TBA

Jan. 4 — Sullivan, 6 p.m.

Jan. 8 — at Riverton Parke

Jan. 9 — at Eminence, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 11 — Northview, 6 p.m.

Jan. 14 — North Central

Jan. 18 — WIC Crossover (H)

Jan. 24 — at Shakamak