2014-15 schedule

Tressa Walker is one of two regular starters back for the Tonganoxie High girls.

Dec. 4 — vs. Baldwin

Dec. 12 — at Ottawa

Dec. 16 — at Bonner

Dec. 18 — at Basehor

Jan. 6 — vs. Piper

Jan. 9 — at Lansing

Jan. 13 — vs. Turner

Jan. 16 — at Mill Valley

Jan. 19-24 — Tongie Inv.

Jan. 27 — at Heritage Chr.

Jan. 30 — vs. Bishop Ward

Feb. 6 — at Piper

Feb. 10 — vs. Bonner

Feb. 13 — vs. Basehor

Feb. 17 — vs. Lansing

Feb. 20 — at Turner

Feb. 24 — vs. Mill Valley

Feb. 26 — at Bishop Ward

March 2-7 — Sub-state

The David Hall era is officially underway at Tonganoxie High.

The THS girls basketball team had its first team practice of the 2014-15 season Monday, welcoming their new coach who brings two decades of basketball experience to the gym. Hall previously served two separate stints as an assistant coach with the Chieftains before taking over for 12-year head coach Randy Kraft.

“(Being the head coach) is a little bit different, but basketball is basketball,” said Hall, who was the head boys coach at Piper from 1991 to 2007. “I’m going to treat it the same way I’ve treated it over the past 20 years. We’re going to guard people, take care of the basketball and try to play as solid as we can.”

Hall will have the services of two regular starters from last year’s 10-11 team in seniors Tressa Walker and Sarah Ahart. Both started all 21 games a year ago. Walker averaged 6.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while Ahart averaged 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while dishing out 26 assists.

The three remaining starting spots are up for grabs following the graduation of All-Kaw Valley League selections Emily Soetaert and Katelyn Waldeier, as well as fellow 2014 grad Kara Banks. Soetaert led the team with 11.5 points per game, while Waldeier averaged a double-double with 10.9 points and a team-high 10.7 rebounds per contest.

In total, the team must replace more than 67 percent of its scoring and 50 percent of its rebounding from 2013-14.

“I told the girls ‘if you want playing time, go earn it,'” Hall said. “That’s the way we’re doing it. We’ve got Sarah and Tressa as returning starters, so they’ll be our nucleus, but then you’ve got a number of kids. We’re going to make the best of it and do what we know how to do.”

Juniors Cheyenne Ford and Kaitlin Hall return the most experience among non-starters from last year. Ford played in every game, averaging 2.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in better than 13 minutes. Kaitlin Hall saw time in all but four games. David Hall said he also expects several underclassmen to vie for spots on the varsity roster.

The Chieftains will open their season Dec. 4 at home against Frontier League school Baldwin. Their KVL schedule begins Dec. 16 with a trip to Bonner Springs.