New section, depth give Fox Chapel girls basketball optimistic outlook
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Friday, November 23, 2018 | 9:57 PM
It’s no secret, the Fox Chapel girls’ basketball team is young and talented.
With only four seniors, there won’t be many fresh faces. But The Foxes will offer a new look for opponents. They spent last season in Section 2 6-A, where they went 2-8 and 9-13 overall.
This season, coach Jennifer O’Shea and her team will move to Section 1 6-A.
“Obviously, North Allegheny is one of the top teams in the state,” O’Shea said. “We have our work cut out for us with them and Norwin. I think we can compete with anyone. These kids do work very hard. They don’t quit.”
Fox Chapel returns two starters from last season in senior forward Megan Friday and junior guard Gabby Guerrieri.
“Gabby is our point guard,” O’Shea said. “She is more than capable of driving it to the hoop, and she’s a good shooter. We need her to be a leader out there.”
The 6-foot-1 Friday can make an impact around the basket.
Sophomore guard Marissa Ritter is a candidate to see significant playing time.
“She’s a good shooter,” O’Shea said. “She knows how to play. She’s strong and takes it to the hoop.”
Sophomore guard Domenica Delaney is expected to shoulder more of the offensive workload for Fox Chapel.
Having a lot of depth is something O’Shea plans to take advantage of this season, and it could lead to several combinations of starting lineups.
Players expected to be in the rotation are senior guard Danielle Moretti, junior guard Claire Fenton, sophomore forward Ellie Schwartzman, senior forward Grace Ritter and senior guard Jessica Page.
“It’s a long season,” O’Shea said. “We can really go at teams if we want to press, and if we want to go up tempo, we have the means to do it.”
No matter if a player is coming off the bench or in the starting lineup, O’Shea said the Foxes all have one thing in common: unselfishness. Everything is centered around one goal” winning.
“Overall, they’re a real coachable team,” O’Shea said. “They listen. They want to be good. They want to have a better season than last year.”
Fox Chapel opens the season Dec. 7 against Ringgold in the Montour Tournament.
D.J. Vasil is a freelance writer.
Tags: Fox Chapel
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