High hopes for Rootstown, Streetsboro as Portage County girls basketball season begins

Here are seven things to know as the Portage County girls basketball season begins:

1. Streetsboro seeks to take the next step

A year ago, the Rockets achieved a lot of history, starting with snapping Norton's streak of 74 consecutive Metro wins and ending with a program-record 19 wins.

This year's goals include a league title (the Panthers edged the Rockets by a game last year) and Streetsboro's first win on the district stage in decades.

The Rockets' optimism starts in the paint, where junior Naomi Benson (15.3 points, 14.4 rebounds) is "well known as one of the state's top players," per coach Carl Singer, and senior Ella Kassan (9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds) is a "perfect complement with her ability [to] shoot from the perimeter and go inside with a barrage of post moves."

Yet where Streetsboro may make the biggest strides this year is up top, where all of its starting guards last year were new to the varsity and are now far more seasoned. Among the Rockets' talent up top, junior Sydney Abbuhl shot 34 percent from 3 last year, sophomore Carlee Bedford (32 percent from deep) is "a tough match-up with her size and shooting ability" and sophomore Olivia Johnson-Wilson (4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.6 steals) "sets the tone" on both sides of the court.

2. Field looks to maintain its own upward momentum

The Rockets aren't the only local team to make waves in the MAC the last couple of years. The Falcons have doubled their win total in back-to-back years, from two in 2020-2021 to seven in 2021-2022 to 14 a year ago.

Field has plenty of reason to expect continued strides in 2023-2024 as coach John Misenko Jr. settles in for his second season at the helm in Brimfield Township with 10 returning letterwinners surrounding him.

That includes all-state selection Delilah Rahe, who averaged a double-double (18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds) last year and is a battering ram with the ball in her hands. Field also returns a very experienced backcourt, led by twins Abby and Ally Harlin, who both averaged seven-plus points and five-plus rebounds a year ago, and fellow junior McKayla Miller (5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.6 assists).

Junior Sarah Balzer has the "potential to be our best post player," per Misenko, while the team's lone senior, Olivia Bey, will be counted on "to be a team leader." Carlee Fafrak and Tia Ulrich, juniors who missed last year, should also make an impact.

3. Rootstown hopes to make postseason run

The Rovers hope to earn their third straight Portage Trail Conference title. They also hope to break through in the postseason, after back-to-back league championship seasons came to an end in the sectional finals.

Rootstown surely has the talent, led by star scorer Nadia Lough (14.1 points, 12.1 rebounds), and one of the area's best frontcourts, with Brooklynn McIntyre (9.6 points, 8.2 rebounds) joining Lough to form a dynamic duo. According to coach Joe Leonard, Lough, long a force inside, has "really worked on her outside game this summer," while McIntyre is another "physical post" who also boasts a "nice mid-range shot."

One of the big keys is for the Rovers' talented backcourt to take the next step. Melanie Plecko, who tied for the team lead with 2.1 assists a year ago, will likely "shoot and drive more this year," said Leonard, while Abby White (6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals), Porter Smith (4.5 points) and Addy Germann can all slash and shoot.

4. Mogadore, Southeast look to challenge Rootstown

A year ago, the Rovers edged the Wildcats by nine in their PTC opener and that was their closest conference game of the season. Still, a Mogadore team led by 2022-2023 PTC Player of the Year Brook McIntyre and a Southeast program with as deep a history of success as any in the area can never be counted out. Indeed, both the Pirates and Wildcats won 15 games a year ago.

Mogadore's nine returning letterwinners include plenty of speedy guards surrounding McIntyre, such as the Tompkins twins with Ari averaging 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals last year and Julie healthy after an ACL tear limited her in 2022-2023.

One of the biggest keys for the Wildcats is being able to battle Lough and McIntyre down low when they face the Rovers. To that end, Amelia Morris is coming off a strong sophomore season (6.6 points, 7.2 rebounds) and can "rebound with the best of them," said coach Jen Ritch, while Olivia Kidd (2.5 points, 3.8 rebounds) boasts the "best hands on the team."

With just one returning starter, Southeast is a little bit more of a mystery. That lone returning starter, Alexandria Morris, will be relied upon for her experience and her shooting (she made 17 3-pointers last season). Senior Emmi Smallfield, who also got plenty of time last season, is a "very long athletic forward with a guard skill set," said first-year coach Ashley Callihan.

Also watch for two freshmen who starred in their fall sports in PG Elliott Smallfield, who "handles the ball very well," per Callihan, and F Jenna Canale, a "great athlete who can score in multiple ways."

5. What will a new era of Garfield basketball look like?

With three straight district championships and 10 straight seasons of 15-plus wins, the G-Men have set a high standard.

This season might be their toughest challenge in ages. After graduating four-year star Grace Mills in 2021 and the dynamic duo of Sarah Seaman (now at Fredonia State) and Jenna Smith (Marietta) in 2022, Garfield graduated three of its four leading scorers last year.

The 2023-2024 G-Men will rely on "one of the area's top sophomores," per coach Aaron Gilbert, in Mandy Cardinal (12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals), as well as a "good shooter" in Zoey May (3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds) and a "force inside later in the [2022-2023] season" in Karleigh Clelland (2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds). Per Gilbert, Garfield's sophomore class, led by standouts like Kaelyn Tasker, Cardinal and Clelland, was "a force in middle school but we will see how that transfers to varsity basketball."

6. Aurora, Roosevelt seek to compete in the Suburban American

To bring a Suburban American title to Portage County will not be easy.

Copley, according to area coaches, is "extremely athletic, talented and well-coached" and blessed with maybe the league's best player in Walsh University commit Izzy Callaway. Highland also figures to be "tough" and "solid."

That said, both area teams should be competitive.

Aurora hopes to shake off its first losing record in nearly a decade, led by sharpshooter Sam Stask (13.7 points, 3.0 assists). While the Greenmen return 10 letterwinners, they remain relatively young. Junior Julia Miller returns down low after leading last year's team in rebounds (5.8) and finishing second in points (5.3). Also expect 5-11 junior Jenna Zuelch to "help bring some height," said coach Erika Greenberg, with the ability to "finish inside and out," while senior Kailey Feckner "is playing with confidence and finishing well around the rim." Up top, junior Brooke Manav and sophomore Brooke Pierce each topped four points per game last year.

For Roosevelt, which won 10 games last year, it's a new era after Lexie Canning and Ari Crockett served as the Rough Riders' leading scorers for years. Expect Julia Nash, "one of the best point guards in the area who sees the floor better than anyone I have ever coached," per coach Craig Foreman, to run the show. Shooting guard Arie Wilson, a "great 3-point shooter" and a "gifted defender," will also be counted on to make big strides up top. Down low, watch for Claire VanDamme, who "showed flashes" last year while battling injuries; Abby Booher, "probably our best finisher" in the post; and Zariyah Taylor, "an excellent finisher inside, strong rebounder and solid rim protector." It will also be fun to see Maddie VanDamme make the transition from post to guard, where she hopes to show off a "reliable outside shot."

7. Crestwood, Ravenna, Windham seek strides

A year ago, the Bombers tripled their win total from three to nine. Windham hopes to maintain that positive momentum, with point guard Mariah Woods entering her senior year with a chance at the 1,000-point mark and star post Briah Daniel doing "most of her damage down low," said coach Jimie Collins. Fellow senior Abby Simpson "gained more confidence" and should help Daniels down low, while junior Quinn Justham is returning to the sport for the first time since the eighth grade and "will be a big help from the jump."

Meanwhile, the Ravens and Red Devils both seek bounce-back seasons.

Crestwood won just four games a year ago after graduating a sizable Class of 2022 that included the bulk of its starting lineup. With four of their five leading scorers from a year ago returning, the Red Devils are poised for better in 2023-2024, led by juniors Hannah Ward (10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks), Abby Guyette (5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals) and Maddie Dustman (5.9 points, 6.5 rebounds), as well as a senior post "that loves contact," per coach T.J. Henderson, in Lilly O'Bryant.

Ravenna, which won five games in coach Courtney O'Donnell's first year at the helm, will have to replace its inside-out combination of Mary Laudato and Kyla Carney. Expect sharpshooter Breena Kainrad, who got plenty of experience last year, to help take the lead for the Ravens, while seniors Abby Schofield and junior Jaylynn Walker "will be physical in the post," said O'Donnell. Senior Shamyah Henderson is among a number of Ravenna guards capable of creating "defensive pressure as well as attacking the hoop."

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Seven things to know entering Portage County girls basketball season