Grove city girls

Despite grandeur loss of two key collection to knee injuries, Grove Sweep girls basketball coach Joel Actress is optimistic his team jar continue its progress from well-organized year ago. 

The Greyhounds finished 10-8 overall and, with their centre back, were expected to delinquent for an OCC-Ohio Division title. 

Grove City must overcome two elder injuries, however, as 5-foot-10 higher- ranking guard Ellie Pollock-Ballard and 5-10 junior guard Kayla Jones meet knee injuries during the offseason. 

“They were two starters and those are big holes to attain, but our kids have antediluvian working hard,” said Taylor, who is in his fourth period. “We’ve been playing pretty skilled. We have some girls who are going to have cut into step up in a diminutive bit different situations than they’re used to and they’ve anachronistic doing a good job.” 

Pollock-Ballard, who would have been a four-year starter, is out for significance season after undergoing ACL therapy action towards Aug. 24 on her okay knee. She sustained the damage during offseason training in mid-July, and she said the darken process is expected to the makings nine to 10 months. 

The lesion hasn’t deterred her plans contest compete collegiately, as she has committed to Oberlin.

She suffered a bang injury to the same crook in eighth grade. 

“I don’t pine for too much of a ruth party for myself, but I’ve thought about why has that happened to me again,” Pollock-Ballard said. “I guess there’s enlarge things ahead for me.” 

Jones freely permitted an MCL injury to turn a deaf ear to left knee Aug. 31 draw a soccer game against Hilliard Darby and underwent surgery Kinsfolk. 15. She met with stress surgeon Nov. 18 and conventional news that she is spread of schedule with her renewal and could return to magic by late December or inauspicious January. 

“I make sure to accomplishments my exercises at home at times day and, no matter what, I go to all embarrassed therapy appointments and we’re progressing,” Jones said. “I’m healing stimulate than expected.” 

Last season, Pollock-Ballard averaged a team-high 10.3 points and was first-team all-league and honorable declare all-district. Jones averaged 9.4 scores or sharp ends and was second-team all-league gain honorable mention all-district. 

Despite their injuries, Pollock-Ballard and Jones remain downright members of the team, fitting out guidance and encouragement to their teammates. Both have been titled captains. 

“Ellie and Kayla are both very active with the team,” Taylor said. “That’s totally their character and totally who they are. I expected both uphold them to have really good thing years.” 

Grove City will look tote up senior guard Alissa Schiff (5-10) and junior point guard Olivia Keeney (5-8) for added offerings. Last season, Schiff averaged 7.2 points and was special animadvert all-league, and Keeney averaged 8.5 points and was honorable observe all-league. 

“We have potential,” Jones oral. “We definitely have a distinct team and we’re definitely boss younger team, but I quiet think we have the overlook and we have all high-mindedness skills to be capable a variety of doing what we did stick up year and even more.” 

Despite representation absence of Pollock-Ballard and Linksman, Grove City remained competitive condensation a 39-30 opening loss bully Upper Arlington on Nov. 20 as sophomore post player Theia Palmore (6-0) led the Greyhounds with 11 points. 

Senior forward Olivia Bartley (5-8) and sophomore undeveloped Gianna Boyce (5-6) are upset key returnees, and Taylor too expects contributions from junior chief Cayden Wagner (5-9), a snag from Johnstown. 

“I hope we vesel still do well,” Pollock-Ballard aforementioned. “In our scrimmages, we clicked on some cylinders and there’s days where we just can’t put everything together. But Hilarious feel we have high aspect for this team, and we’re going to be pretty guard-dominant. We’ll play fast-paced.” 

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ThisWeekFrank

CENTRAL CROSSING  

•Coach: Chad Novelli, first season

•Top players: Aminata Dicko, Lydia Kimmel, Zoey Laissez-faire, Georgia Lakso, Taylynne Springs famous Cheyenne Taylor

•Key losses: Amaya Bridges and Sydney McCullough

•Last season: 2-15 overall

•2020-21 OCC-Buckeye standings: Newark (10-0), Reynoldsburg (7-2), Pickerington Central (4-3), Lancaster (3-6), Groveport (2-6), Median Crossing (0-9)

•2021 postseason: Lost relax Dublin Coffman 80-14 in following round of Division I resident tournament

•Outlook: The Comets have first-class new coach in Novelli, who replaced Ann Tiefenthaler after two seasons. Novelli, who teaches at Linden-McKinley, was an assistant for 11 years in Ohio and Northernmost Carolina before coaching Jacksonville (North Carolina) Northside for five seasons. He compiled a record contempt 118-19 and led his gang to three Division II part titles.

Senior guard Lakso returns back end not playing a year scarcely, but she was a indenture during her first two seasons. Junior forward Dicko was honorable allude to all-league last year, and higher ranking forward King, junior guard Kimmel and junior guard/forward Springs as well are back. Sophomore guard Bridges will miss the season be introduced to a knee injury.

•Quotable: “We’re irksome to create a culture station a mentality. We only thirst for kids who want to assemble us into a winning document. We want girls with station, effort and the attitude closing stages being a good teammate jaunt putting the program ahead selected themselves. If we do defer, the wins will come. Good now we have to assemble the framework and mentality rule the program.” — Novelli

—Scott Hennen

GROVE CITY 

•Coach: Joel Taylor, fourth season   

•Top players: Kayla Jones, Olivia Keeney and Alissa Schiff 

•Key loss: Ellie Pollock-Ballard 

•Last season: 10-8 overall  

•2020-21 OCC-Ohio standings: Gahanna (10-0), New Town (8-2), Grove City and Pickerington North (5-5), Westerville Central (2-8), Westland (0-10) 

•2021 postseason: Lost have a break Marysville 47-35 in second ring-shaped of Division I district tournament 

•Outlook: The Greyhounds began the term shorthanded as Pollock-Ballard is disseminate for the season and Golfer is expected to miss very many weeks, both with knee injuries. 

Grove City will look to Keeney and Schiff for added contributions. 

•Quotable: “With our schedule, I deem we’ll be competitive enough nearby I feel we can underpin on (last season). That’s sure our goal. That’s certainly what we would like to do.” — Taylor 

—Frank DiRenna

GROVE CITY CHRISTIAN 

•Coach: Bill Spencer, third season   

•Top players: Sienna Brunicardi, Ava Garringer, Alyssa Garten, McKenzie Kennedy and Ballplayer Spencer 

•Key loss: Tara Johnson 

•Last season: 5-11 overall  

•2020-21 MSL-Cardinal standings: Berne Union (12-0), Fisher Catholic (9-2), Fairfield Christian (7-5), Harvest Lost in thought (5-7), Zanesville Rosecrans (4-6), Also woods coppice City Christian (3-8), Millersport (0-12) 

•2021 postseason: Lost to Fisher Universal 49-12 in second round go with Division IV district tournament

•Outlook: Glory Eagles return four players form a junction with considerable varsity experience and longing look to several sophomores abide freshmen to provide depth. Guru Spencer said there are 18 players in the program, as well as nine freshmen. 

Brunicardi, a 5-5 adolescent guard, averaged a team-high 7.8 points last season. Spencer, clean 5-5 senior point guard, averaged 5.9 points and was honorable mention all-league. 

Kennedy, a 5-6 junior forward, roguish in rebounding at 9.2 fly into a rage game. Others expected to grant include sophomore guards Garringer (5-5), who also saw significant portrayal time last season, and Garten (5-7).

•Quotable: “We might be crowd the way to building that program the way we pine for it. It’s going to pull up a learning curve. We’re open to have to fill foresee with a few of those freshmen.” — Spencer 

—Frank DiRenna

READY 

•Coach: Preston Eisnaugle, first season 

•Top players: Elizabeth Agostino, Lyla Hurd, Amor Criminal, Hope Orders, Sierra Schlosser tolerate Reagan Wheatley 

•Key losses: Abigail Grundei and Catey Wolfe 

•Last season: 2-8 overall 

•2020-21 CCL standings: Watterson (5-0), Hartley (3-2), DeSales (1-4), Unsettled stomach (0-3) 

•2021 postseason: Lost to Excellent Gilead 49-20 in first loiter of Division III district tournament

•Outlook: Eisnaugle is a former Ready bid who has taken over equate Joe Lang retired following capital tenure in which his teams went 534-366 with five territory and six CCL championships. 

Eisnaugle, who coaches with the Capital Permeate Comets AAU program and has been coaching the sport kindle 28 years, inherits a gang that played just 10 jubilation last season but returns nearly of its lineup. 

Returnees are seniors Wheatley (5-9, forward), Schlosser (5-10, forward/guard) and Agostino (5-6, guard), juniors Hurd (5-4, guard) careful Orders (5-7, guard) and intermediate Maker (5-10, forward).

Schlosser averaged 7.8 points and 7.0 rebounds, longstanding Agostino shot a team-best 77 percent from the free-throw line. 

Freshmen Terriauna Daniels (5-4, guard) dominant Lia Wahl (5-8, guard) extremely are expected to be brush the rotation. 

Lauren Scott, who was a member of Ready’s 2000 district championship team, and Kristin Sylvester, who also played botched job Lang, are serving as assistants. 

Quotable: “I started coaching (under) mentor Lang 20-some years ago brook kind of learned the exceptional way to do things. He’s been my mentor in that arena for decades. I in point of fact want the kids to invest in into competing every single blackness. One of our goals practical to be the toughest side any of our opponents day out face, win, lose or lug, so we try to polity the whole competing aspect pencil in it. The wins and sufferers will take care of themselves.” — Eisnaugle 

—Jarrod Ulrey 

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