Greencastle-Antrim looks to turn page from Faulkner

By Ben Destefan

 

The post-Jenay Faulkner era is set to begin for the Greencastle-Antrim girls’ basketball program.

 

Having graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer (1,820 points), Faulkner gave the Blue Devils one of the state’s best players for the last four seasons, lifting G-A to a pair of appearances in the PIAA tournament.

 

Now, Faulkner is showcasing her talents at the next level for Division-I Holy Cross. Back in Greencastle, the 2017-18 Blue Devils must turn the page on what was a tremendous run during Faulkner’s tenure.

 

“The big thing for us is the uncharted territory,” G-A head coach Mike Rhine said. “We have some girls returning, but they were in complementary roles before. Now that has changed. Our girls have to learn their new roles, and they need to have the opportunities to do so. We’re excited to get things going.”

 

With just one senior on the roster, Greencastle will lean on a promising group of juniors and sophomores to make the transition. Starters Lydia Crist and Madison Sweitzer return from last season’s squad that finished 18-6 overall and won a fourth consecutive Mid-Penn Colonial Division crown. Ashley Noblit is also back after seeing significant varsity time as a freshman while Ashley True will assume a starting spot after missing last season because of an injury. Jordan Yeager and McKenna Rakaczewski are both expected to be routine contributors as well.

 

“We have some really good athletes who enjoy the game,” Rhine said. “There’s going to be a learning curve and we want to involve a lot of players, more so than in the past. Our plan is to play solid defense and rebound. From there, we have to get the ball in the basket by relying on five or six girls to divvy up the shots.”

 

Aside from Faulkner, who averaged 18.9 points per game, Greencastle also graduated its second leading scorer in Morgan Wagaman (10.4 PPG). Therefore, offensive production is the biggest question mark, with Crist returning as the top option after averaging 7.3 PPG.

 

“We’re going to build this thing together, continuing what we’ve been doing in the offseason,” Rhine said. “It goes in cycles, and now it’s time for these girls to step in. We’re not really looking for moral victories, we’re still going out there expecting to win games.”

 

The Blue Devils open their campaign Friday night against James Buchanan in the Franklin County Tip-Off Tournament. G-A is hosting the annual event this year, with the girls’ varsity game scheduled to start around 7 p.m.

 

KEY DEPARTURES

Jenay Faulkner, Morgan Wagaman

 

KEY RETURNERS

Lydia Crist, Madison Sweitzer, Ashley Noblit

 

ROSTER

Seniors - Morgan Bowen

Juniors - Paige Avey, Lydia Crist, Madison Sweitzer, Ashley True, Jordan Yeager

Sophomores - Kylie Cunningham, Ashley Noblit, McKenna Rakaczewski, Kristen True

Freshmen - Sayge Wilhide, Olivia Winslow