2014-15 schedule

Angela Dailey brings multiple seasons of starting experience to the McLouth High girls this winter.

2014-15 schedule

Dec. 5 — at JCN

Dec. 9 — vs. Horton

Dec. 12 — vs. Immaculata

Dec. 16 — at Oskaloosa

Dec. 19 — vs. Pleasant Ridge

Jan. 6 — at Maur Hill

Jan. 9 — at Jackson Hts.

Jan. 16 — vs. Valley Falls

Jan. 19-24 — McLouth Inv.

Feb. 3 — vs. JCN

Feb. 6 — at Immaculata

Feb. 10 — vs. Oskaloosa

Feb. 12 — at Horton

Feb. 13 — at Pleasant Ridge

Feb. 17 — vs. Maur Hill

Feb. 20 — vs. Jackson Hts.

Feb. 24 — at Heritage Chr.

Feb. 27 — at Valley Falls

March 2-7 — Sub-state

McLouth ? When the McLouth High girls basketball team takes the court this season, it will do so with just 10 players on its roster. But, with four returning varsity players in her arsenal, coach Lindsey Graf hopes the Bulldogs can make up for their lack of numbers with experience and effort.

Graf will begin her third season at the helm in less than two weeks, as MHS looks to improve on its 5-16 finish in 2013-14. It will do so under the leadership of seniors and returning starters Angela Dailey and Meghan Jackson, as well as juniors Dominique Tullis and Anna Moore.

“I only have 10 out, so (the returners) are obviously going to be huge in the whole process,” Graf said. “They know their roles and how important they are when they step out on the floor.”

Dailey and Jackson will provide the Bulldogs with some depth at guard as they try to fill the void left by leading scorer and rebounder Kayla Steffey. Dailey has started since Graf took over the program in 2012-13, and Jackson made an impact after transferring from Tonganoxie last season.

The senior duo has spent the team’s early-season practices working with less experienced teammates who will spend the entire season in the varsity lineup. The school canceled the junior varsity season because of the small roster.

“Getting the younger people experience, they’re practicing against us,” Jackson said. “I think once they learn it, they’ll come in and contribute pretty well.

Moore also figures to play a larger role in the backcourt after seeing varsity time as a sophomore.”

Tullis is the team’s most experienced player in the post after the graduation of Konner Patterson, but the 2014-15 Bulldogs will have the services of senior Rebecca Boyd, who is new to basketball. Boyd, an All-Northeast Kansas League volleyball selection this past fall, stands at just shy of 6 feet tall.

“She brings some height to the situation,” Graf said of Boyd. “She’s learning fast. We’re mostly showing her how to do some things, and we have the opportunity when we have small numbers to kind of break some things down. That’s kind of nice.”

The team’s five remaining players will make their varsity debuts this season. Graf said she expects contribution from underclassmen this winter, including a pair of freshmen in Justina Williams and Ceara Funk.

“I’ll have some young kids step in to fill some minutes, but I obviously can’t be choosy,” Graf said. “They’re going to be learning on the fly all year. They’re decent athletes and they work very, very hard.

“Sometimes, when you make it crazy and work hard, good things happen.”

MHS will open its season Dec. 5 with a trip to NEK opponent and last year’s Class 2A state runner-up, Jefferson County North. The Bulldogs will open the home portion of their schedule four days later against Horton. For the first time, the girls will host seven schools for the McLouth Invitational Tournament from Jan. 19-24. The tournament has taken place on the boys side for 27 years.

In the days leading up to the season opener, the Bulldogs have placed an emphasis on maintaining a high level of intensity, especially since players will see a large workload in the coming months.

“We just need to keep working really hard and keep up the energy,” Dailey said. “Since there’s not very many of us, we’re going to have to be able to stay in the game longer, so we really need to try our best with the players we have.”