By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
On the heels of a phenomenal 22-3 season that saw them take third at state, the Wamego girl’s basketball team will look to retool and run it back for the 2022-23 campaign.
The Lady Raiders are led by head coach Brian McIntosh who returns for his sixth season at the helm in Wamego.
Despite graduating three key seniors, the Raiders return deeper and more talented than ever, with a rotation of twelve players battling it out for a spot in the starting five.
While the lineup has yet to be decided, Wamego expects big minutes out of six seniors in Trista Hoobler, Ashten Pierson, Addison Denney, Maya Gallagher, Kirby McKee, and Kyla McAdam, two juniors in Rylie Meinhardt and Sara Springer, three sophomores in Bella Wilber, Sariah Pittenger-Reed, and Amber Kinsley, and freshman Lexi Hecht.
Before the season tips off, we had a chance to visit with Coach McIntosh to get his thoughts on this year’s Wamego squad.
Q: What were your overall thoughts on the 2021-22 campaign?
A: Each year we’ve taken steps to achieve our ultimate goal. This year we will look to take another step. Our returners played a huge role in our 3rd place finish last season, they understand what it takes to compete against the best and they have their focus set on some high goals.
Q: How excited is everyone to get back on the floor and back to playing real games after a long offseason?
A: The girls are very hungry and eager to get the season going. They all did more this off-season than they ever have. We look forward to another memorable season.
Q: Coming into the year what would you say is the biggest strength of this team?
A: We have the majority of our team returning from last season. The girls have been working hard in the offseason and are hungry to build off last year's success. Our six seniors have been instrumental in our program's success over the past three years. They are terrific leaders and understand what it takes to compete at the state level.
Q: What are the biggest question marks about this team as we head into the first few weeks?
A: Honestly, we have a pretty good idea of our lineup and who will be coming in, we’re healthy which is always a good thing at this point and we have a lot of kids back from last year and a lot of young kids who are excited to step up. Honestly, we’re just ready to get going again.
Q: What are the goals and expectations of this team for this 2022-23 campaign?
A: After last season our girls know what to expect and they know what they want. Their expectations are high, if not higher than last season. We’ve got a tremendous group of seniors who have been in our program for three years and they know the ins and outs of the season. I’m looking forward to them leading us.
The Raiders will tip off their 2022-23 season on Thursday, December 3rd when Wamego hosts Topeka High.
For continuing coverage of Lady Raider basketball all season long, stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.