Edinburgh girls basketball coach Amy Schilling need not spend hours trying to find motivation for her players.
History, after all, has done it for her.
Coming off a 17-8 season filled with milestones and an endless supply of positive memories made, the Lancers are in the rare position of attempting to post consecutive winning seasons for the first time since girls basketball debuted at the school in the fall of 1975.
“After a good season, our players are pretty pumped to get started this season,” said Schilling, who is now in her eighth season and needs six victories to become Edinburgh’s career leader in that department.
“We’re going to have to use our defense until some of these players take on the role of scorers, and everybody is going to have to hit the boards. It’s definitely going to be scoring and rebounding by committee.”
Edinburgh graduated guard Destiney Ramey, a four-year starter who ended her career as the Lancers’ all-time leading scorer, reliable guard/forward Haven Link and others.
However, plenty of talent returns, starting with 5-foot-6 senior guard Annelise Lollar, who averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.8 assists last season. Lollar, along with juniors Callie Hancock and Alyssa Funkhouser and sophomore Gracie Crawhorn, accounted for 42 percent of Edinburgh’s scoring last season.
Schilling anticipates as many as nine other players factoring into what the Lancers accomplish this season. Juniors Bethany Burton and Carly Cowan, in particular, could take significant strides forward for a team poised to count defense and depth as its main strengths.
It took Edinburgh 10 seasons before it first finished with a winning mark; last season was only the third winning campaign in program history, and it easily surpassed the previous standard for most victories (12).
This year’s team plans to build on that breakthrough.
Hancock, a 5-5 guard who was good for 6.6 points and 3.8 boards, believes more good times could be ahead, but that it needs to start at the defensive end.
“Defense is probably our strength. We’ve always been pretty good on defense, playing mostly man-to-man. But we play some zone, too,” Hancock said. “I’m excited to see how the season plays out. I’m thinking it will play out well because we have a lot of girls playing this year.”
_____________________
Scouting the Lancers
Head coach: Amy Schilling
Last season: 17-8, lost to Trinity Lutheran in first round of sectional
Top returnees: Annelise Lollar, senior; Alyssa Funkhouser and Callie Hancock, juniors; Gracie Crawhorn, sophomore
Key newcomers: Malkia Willard, senior; Bethany Burton, Carly Cowan and Katrina Hendren, juniors; Cloee Britton, Ceira Myers, Gracie Myers and Jillian Turner, sophomores; Kyah Streeval, freshman
Outlook: Schilling hopes one of the most successful seasons in program history brings the type of momentum that spills over to this winter. The Lancers remain a very young team, but are experienced at the same time with the nucleus of Lollar, Hancock, Funkhouser and Crawhorn providing a veteran presence. The graduation of career scoring leader Destiney Ramey makes it necessary for other players to step forward for the Lancers to have a chance of achieving consecutive winning seasons for the first time.
_______________________
3 points with Alyssa Funkhouser
1. Which nonconference opponent are you most looking forward to facing?
I would probably have to say Shelbyville. It’s one of the hardest teams to play. They’re really aggressive and hard-working.
2. Which unknown player on this team will become a household name this winter?
Either Jillian Turner or Kyah Streeval. Both are younger players, Jillian a sophomore and Kyah a freshman. But if they keep working hard, they will earn their spots.
3. Given the ongoing pandemic, how concerned are you about the season being interrupted in some way?
It worries me that we wouldn’t be able to finish the season. Right now, I’m concerned just a little bit, but if the pandemic continues, I’ll be more worried.
