Girls open season Saturday at home
By Dan Truttschel
Sports Correspondent
Recognizing the key members of the East Troy High School girls basketball team the past four years wasn’t all that difficult, as the core seemed to lead the way every single night.
But as is the case in high school athletics, the roster turns over every season – and in the Trojans’ case, this year will be almost a complete overhaul.
East Troy, which came within a last-second layup of winning the Division 3 state title last year and finished at 26-2, must replace 10 girls who graduated in the spring, including three who now are competing in college.
There are plenty of new faces, but at the same time, new challenges to tackle, East Troy coach Jeff Brown said.
“Things are going fine,” he said. “There has been a lot of teaching going on the first few weeks. With all the new faces, it’s been a lot of fun with the new kids. There is a different type of excitement.
“I have been pleasantly surprised with many of the kids. We have to be a different team than last year. We will play a different style of offense and defense.”
East Troy lost about 52 points a game in scoring from a year ago in departed seniors Breanna Gaspervich (16.9 per game), Rachel Atchison (16.8), Alicia Oleson (10.4) and Andrea Olsen (9.8).
Sophomore Katrina Santos (6-foot-2, center) returns as the leading scorer after she averaged 3.6 points per game last season.
Seniors on the roster are Emily Leising (5-8, guard) and Paige Kloth (5-6, forward), and they are joined by juniors Katie Hodges (5-6, guard), Jessi Spaight (5-7, forward), Jenna Hodges (5-6, guard), Kora Gaspervich (5-6, guard) and Brianna Casper (5-6, guard); sophomore M.E. Dodge (5-10, forward); and freshmen Maddie Rosin (5-3, guard) and Kayla Casper (5-10, forward).
Brown said he will rely on a number of players to lead the way in 2013-2014.
“Paige Kloth has been a great leader all summer, and the returning kids from the varsity last year understand what we do,” Brown said.
“M.E. and Katrina will be asked to rebound and be more of a scoring threat this year. Paige and Emily will be asked to provide leadership. My expectations won’t change. I expect us to work hard and compete every night.”
As the new season begins to unfold, Brown said it will be important for this group to form its own identity.
It can’t compare itself to what last year’s squad and that core of seniors accomplished, he said, but have to pave their own new path.
“Last year’s group was special,” he said. “But the great thing about basketball is that you can be successful with different styles. This year’s team will try and be successful with a style that works best for them.”
Whitewater team to watch
East Troy cruised to the RVC North title a year ago with a 16-0 record, including a pair of victories over fierce rival Whitewater.
Brown said he expects the Whippets, who are led by one of the area’s best players in senior Brooke Trewyn, to be among the teams that will try to knock his squad from the top spot.
“Whitewater is loaded,” he said. “Jefferson returns a lot of starters. McFarland returns all five starters. Edgerton is like us. Evansville will be improved.
“It’s a tough conference. Whitewater is the cream of the crop, but after that, it’s wide open. Our goal is improve each night. We hope to be in the mix every night.”
East Troy opens its season Saturday night when it hosts Delavan-Darien in a 7:15 p.m. non-conference matchup. The Trojans begin RVC play Thursday, Dec. 5, against visiting Jefferson, also at 7:15.
