EATON — For those close to the Eaton girls’ basketball program it’s no secret last season’s one-point loss in the district semifinals has been on the minds of the Eagles during the off-season.
“Last season did not end the way we wanted,” Eaton coach Dave Honhart said. “We lost a heart breaker against Trotwood- Madison in the district semi-final. It was a great game, but the result left a bad taste in our mouths. That game serves as fuel for our fire to pursue competitive excellence on each and every possession this season.”
The loss kept the Eagles from its first-ever district final appearance and reminded them each possession matters.
Eaton returns its top three scorers, rebounders and assist leaders from that team and has its sights set on a successful season. They also have a mix of players returning who saw varsity time.
“We have a lot of talent and dedication,” Honhart said. “Our team chemistry and overall approach has been outstanding. I feel like we have a chance to be pretty good, but in order to accomplish that it means everyone has to show up every day absolutely driven to improve. It also means that every day we have to be intentional about becoming a better and better team, on and off the floor.”
The Eagles will be led by returning starters in senior Allison Mowen and juniors Olivia Baumann and Lily Shepherd.
”This will be Allison’s fourth year as our starting point guard. She continues to grow as a leader and as a player at both ends of the floor. Allison led our team in assists and was our second leading rebounder last year. Allison was first team all-league as a sophomore, and honorable mention last year,” Honhart said.
“Liv has been our leading rebounder the last two years. Olivia was also our second-leading scorer last year. We’re looking for her to become more of a scorer on offense and continue to grow as a leader. Olivia was 1st team all-league last year,” Honhart said.
“Lily was our leading scorer last year. She has developed her overall game over the off season and the first month of practice. We are looking for her to become a defensive leader this year,” Honhart said.
Other returning key players include seniors Anna Kramer, Juli Couch and Kyla Mize.
”Anna is a good shooter and a very complete player. We look for her to be a significant contributor this year,” Honhart said.
“Juli is a versatile forward who has really developed as a rebounder. We look for her to be a significant contributor this year,” Honhart said.
Mize is the type of player who is willing to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful.
Freshman Olivia Orr will also be asked to play a key role this season.
”Olivia is a dynamic scorer and rebounder. She is also a very quick learner. We look for her to be a significant contributor this year,” Honhart said.
Honhart said he believes his team can contend for a league title as well as make run in the tournament.
”We are excited about the way that the league has realigned. I think there are a lot of good teams in the West and it will be a great league race,” Honhart said. “We certainly expect to be in the thick of things. We will play an exciting, uptempo, high-pressure brand of basketball. We will be fun to watch. We would love all the crowd support we can get. When we play, at home or away, please Pack the Place with Purple, and you’ll get our absolute best effort every night.”
The Eagles opened the season on Friday, Nov. 19 with a convincing 50-33 win at Greenville. Mowen and Shepherd led the way with 16 points each. Mowen was 4-for-9 from 3-point range and had five steals. Shepherd was 6-of-11 shooting on the night and went 4-of-5 from the foul line. Baumann added nine points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Kramer had three rebounds, three steals and three assists.
Eaton (1-0) was scheduled to host Franklin on Tuesday, Nov. 23 and will host Bellbrook on Monday, Nov. 29.
