Cedars, October 2017

October 2017 19 SPORTS Lady Jackets Primed to Compete for G-MAC Title by Tim Miller T he 2017-18 edition of the Cedarville Lady Jackets basketball team may be the most experienced in recent mem- ory. The Lady Jackets lose just one player from last season, and return 99 percent (2,000 of 2,015 points) of their scoring from last season. Lady Jackets head coach Kari Hoffman returns for her second season at the helm, and said the experience on the team will al- low her to get ahead. “That allows us to have a jumpstart on the season because they know what this program is all about,” Hoffman said. “We’ve got really good leadership from the top down.” Crowded yet loaded backcourt On top of all the returners this season, the Lady Jackets also add the services of Abby Wolford. Wolford suffered a torn ACL in a scrimmage last season that kept her out for the year. She injured her meniscus during the summer. However, Hoffman said she should be cleared to play by the middle of October. Wolford is a redshirt junior, and av- eraged 8.0 and 12.1 points per game in her freshman and sophomore campaigns, re- spectively. “My expectation for myself is to jump back where I was,” Wolford said. “It might take some time but I’mprepared to get there.” Hoffman commented on the addition of Wolford to her backcourt and said there should be major production coming from the guard play this season. “Just thinking about what we had last year and thinking about what we have com- ing back, and then boosting it with Abby is really exciting,” Hoffman said. Senior Regina Hochstetler and junior Baylee Bennett return to the Lady Jackets as two of the top 15 3-point shooters in the G-MAC from a season ago. The two com- bined to average 28 points per game last season, and Hochstetler set the school re- cord for free-throw percentage last season at 90 percent. Frontcourt bolstered by grit Seniors Emily Williams and Breanne Watterworth and junior Taylor Buckley willed the Lady Jackets to becoming the best rebounding team in the conference last sea- son. Williams (8.1 rebounds per game), Wat- terworth (7.3) and Buckley (6.9) return to continue to help the team clean up the glass. Hoffman said she expects to lean on Watterworth and Williams again this sea- son and that Buckley will provide great en- ergy like she did last year. Watterworth was the primary scoring threat down low last season, averaging 11.2 points per game. Williams led the team in blocks, swatting 1.3 shots per game last year. “The fundamentals of just boxing out and having a desire to go get the ball every time it comes off the rim allows us to re- bound as well as we have,” Watterworth said. The roster contains many familiar faces from last season, but Hoffman thinks some players without as much recognition could still make a name for themselves this season. Hoffman said she eagerly anticipates seeing the freshmen develop and compete for playing time. “I think our freshmen will be a little surprising to some people if they contin- ue to develop,” Hoffman said. “I could see them standing out very quickly.” Hoffman singled out newcomers Stevie Johnting and Ashlyn Huffman as players who could step in and gain significant min- utes. Johnting is a long defender who has a good first step with the ball in her hands, according to Hoffman. Hoffman speculated that Huffman may be the smartest fresh- man to come through the program and said she could even compete for a starting point guard role this season. The quest for a G-MAC title is even more grueling this season. Findlay, Hills- dale, Lake Erie, Ohio Dominican and Walsh join an expanded conference this season, meaning Cedarville’s schedule will rarely feature a non-conference foe. The Lady Jackets welcome reigning Di- vision II national champion Ashland to the Callan Athletic Center this season and play Indianapolis, who toppled Cedarville 58-39 in last season’s showdown. Hoffman said there’s not many goals she’s set for the team this season. She said she wants her team to focus on the daily as- pects of basketball. “I want to beat the teams we’re sup- posed to beat and surprise teams in the G-MAC,” Hoffman said. Additionally, Hoffman wants her team to glorify God in all that they do. “I just want us to get better every single day,” Hoffman said. “If we continue to do that, I think we can do some really special things.” Tim Miller is a sophomore marketing ma- jor and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys having a baby face, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee and striving to be the optimal combi- nation of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swan- son. Photo by Lydia Wolterman Front Row, Left to Right: Ashlyn Huffman, Baylee Bennett, Anna DeFilippo, Jamie Dodane, Kelly Poole, Regina Hochstetler, Abby Wolford Back Row, Left to Right: Kaitlyn Holm, Cameron Peek, Emily Williams, Breanne Watterworth, Taylor Buckley, Stevie Johnting, Annabelle Hinds, Ellie Juengel.