Hit hard by graduation, Belle Vernon girls basketball team will lean on youth

By:
Monday, November 13, 2023 | 3:58 PM


The Belle Vernon girls basketball team heads into the season needing to adjust.

After losing in last season’s WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals, the team had to say goodbye to five seniors who played the bulk of the minutes.

“Last year, we were a veteran team. We’re going to have to find another way this year,” said fourth-year coach Kaitlyn Slagus.

Gone are Jenna Dawson, Farrah Reader, Viva Kreis, Presleigh Colditz and Lilly Kern. Replacing them is a group of sophomores and freshmen eager to show what they can do.

The more veteran of the youngsters are sophomore guards Mia Roebuck and Emerson LaCarte, who will feature prominently in the lineup.

“Mia was big for us last year, and she’ll be needed in a bigger role this year,” Slagus said. “Emerson’s done really well since transferring back from Greensburg Central Catholic. She’s been with us since summer, and I’m excited to see her play with the rest of the girls.”

Freshman Saylor Lee stood out in summer league and will look to play important minutes.

“Saylor will be one of a group of freshmen I’m looking forward seeing and that could provide a spark for us,” added Slagus.

Leading the young Leopards are a trio of seniors: Kenzi Seliga, Caroline Lee and Nina Francia.

“Kenzi was big as a starter for us last year, and she’s shown her leadership and was really confident in the summer league,” Slagus said. “Lee has also shown us a lot. I know she didn’t get a lot of minutes last year, but she capitalized when she was out there. Nina will be big for us as well.

The senior leadership will lend a guiding hand in mentoring the younger portion of the roster.

“There are a lot of new things we need to install, and we do have to adjust to the new kids and the talents they can bring to the team,” Slagus said. “So we’ll need to make adjustments on a game-by-game basis.”

Those adjustments coupled with the team establishing a strong mindset and focusing on its preparation will help Belle Vernon in its attempt to get back to the playoffs.

“I think the standard for Belle Vernon is to make the playoffs. I think it’s going to be a learning year because we are so young,” Slagus said. “I think if things aren’t going our way, we need to keep our heads up, work hard, and attack the next game.”

Belle Vernon will be tested in a section filled with teams that were young last year but bring back more veteran players than the Leopards.

“Elizabeth Forward returns a ton of talented players, and they might be the frontrunners in the section,” Slagus said. “Some of our section opponents may not have done well last year because they were so young but are looking to use that veteran presence to be tougher and stronger this year.”

Now the script has flipped. The Leopards are one of the younger teams in the section, and the hope is the younger players can provide a spark that carries the team to a successful outcome.

“I know the girls put a lot of work in this off season, and I’m really proud they’re excited to get after it,” Slagus said. “Hopefully, by tweaking our approach, we can use the best abilities of our girls to put us in the best position possible at the end of the year.”

Belle Vernon girls basketball at a glance

Last year’s record: 15-9 (10-2 in Section 3-4A)

Returning starter: Kenzi Seliga (sr., G/F)

Top newcomers: Emerson LaCarte (so., G), Saylor Lee (fr., F), Abbey Russell (fr., G), Chessa Mertz (fr., G), Payton Walsh (fr., G)

Tags:

More High School Basketball

WPIAL launches investigations into Baldwin, Imani Christian over ‘possible recruiting violations’
Westmoreland high school notebook: Puck drops for area’s PIHL teams
Penn Hills notebook: Basketball grad to play professionally in Ireland
New coach Gabby Baldasare excited to fill big shoes with North Allegheny girls basketball
Dana Petruska comes out of retirement to take over as girls basketball coach at Deer Lakes