Contributing writer
The Goessel High School girls’ basketball team finished the 2010-11 season with six wins, and the experience that they gathered should help them to exceed the wins from a year ago.
Five girls who started games return for the 2011-12 season. Senior Aimee Flaming will be expected to lead the team from the guard position. Flaming averaged 3.8 points per game, collected 22 steals and hit 10 3-pointers in the 2010 season. D’Ambra Kruger, a 5-foot-9-inch senior, may play guard or post for the Bluebirds. Last year she averaged 2 points per game and came up with 16 steals. Junior Jessica Harvey led the team last year from the point guard position and accumulated 55 steals while scoring 3.9 points per game. Johanna Hoffman, another junior, dropped in nine 3-pointers and scored 3.6 points per game last year. Goessel’s tallest player is 5-foot-11-inch junior Alex Hiebert. She averaged 4.6 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in the 2010 season.
Coach Ryan Hoopes is looking forward to Samantha Jarvis helping the team at the post position and Ali Buller also playing near the basket. Both girls were injured last year but show potential to see playing time this year. Thirteen players reported for practice this season, so the Bluebirds will not be very deep on the bench but five have a lot of experience with the others eager to gain that experience.
At 5 feet, 3 inches, Aimee Flaming knows that she will not be real effective around the basket among taller players.
“I hope I can make several 3-pointers every game to help the team from the guard position.”
“I am going to do what I can to help the team with rebounding,” 5-foot-9-inch post player Jarvis said.
“Coach wants me to know all positions since I may be needed as a post player at times, but have played guard most of my career,” Kruger said. The Bluebirds hope to rebound better than last season and continue to play pressure defense.
“The girls lost eight games by four points or less,” Hoopes said of the 2010-11 team.
The success of this season will depend on the experience that was gained last year to allow the girls to play more aggressively and with more confidence.
In the Wheat State League, the Bluebirds were 3-5 last year. Hoopes hopes for Goessel to finish in the top half this year, with tough competition coming from Little River, Peabody, Elyria and Hope. Joanna Mays is the assistant coach for the second year. The Bluebirds will open the season at Inman and then be at home for the Bluebird Classic Dec. 5 through 10.