Coach Halford Says The 2023 Girls B-Ball Season Will Be "One To Remeber"

The Williamsville Lady Bullets Basketball Team In Loss To Carlinville Photo Courtesy of Easton Blankenship

A SEASON PREVIEW

What they lost- The Lady Bullets lost 3 seniors: Reagan Miller, Allie Henrikson, and Delaney Noonan. Coach B.J. Halford said that "It’s always tough losing seniors, especially the ones from last year, who started a majority of games." The Williamsville Girls Basketball team also had 2 sophmore girls quit before the season started. Halford added that "It's going to be even tougher going foward, especially with us already having a numbers problem, but the girls that we do have are ready to play and are ready to make some memories."

How the upperclassman come into this year- The Lady Bullets have 3 seniors once again: Naomi Roberts, Elyse Olysav, and Char Gleason. Char Gleason is coming off an ACL injury that prevented her from playing her junior year. Her sophomore year she averaged almost a double-double all season and tallied 10 points in her first game back. Coach Halford said that "Char is a natural leader, and she has been very vocal at the preseason practices, and I believe that her return will make a big difference." Naomi Roberts had a field goal percentage of 33.1% last year and had 5 points in the home opener against Carlinville. Naomi looks to be integral part of this Lady Bullet Offense this year. Elyse Olysav had a FG percentage of 20.3% last year. Coach Halford said that "Naomi and Elyse are two of the more steady players on the team, and they do their job well." Britni Walters comes into her third year of starting varsity for the Lady Bullets, and she has taken on a leadership role as well. Halford told the Wire that "Britni has the ability to take over games, and her talent and basketball smarts make her a great on-court leader."

How the underclassmen come into this year- Sophmore Mia Root had the team's third highest field goal percentage at 34.8% and had the best percentage from 3 at 35.7% as a freshman. Cora Senalik was named the day-one starting PG against Carlinville, and she did not dissapoint. Cora had 6 points and made a third of the shots she took. Halford said that "The program has put a lot of trust in Mia and Cora, and we know there will be room for improvement with them, just like everyone else."

Season Outlook- Williamsville fell to Carliinville in the home opener at Dave Root Court, 44-33. The Bullets had a great second quarter, but the tide turned after Carlinville hit a 3 right before half. The Cavaliers then outscored the Bullets 25-15 in the second half and got the win. Coach Halford called the loss "dissapointing," but gave credit to a solid Carlinville team. Halford said that "This team is just getting started, we know we can play better. We added some really tough games this year, and working with this team and seeing the potential, it's going to make this season one to remember."