As winter grows nearer, it can only mean one thing: Lady Raiders basketball. Last season, the team ended with a record of 11-14, continuing the trend of improving their record each year. Returning varsity players from last year include juniors Elissa Nsenkyire, Grace O’Connor, Dani Pescatore, Jill Stanton, and Allison Watson, and seniors Jayna Moore, Peyton Quackenbush, Lisa Ross, and Gabriella Vangeli.

“I feel like this year we have good chemistry,” Nsenkyire said. “We’ve been playing together since middle school and even before. This would really help us out on the court.”

Joining the returning players this year are junior newcomers Michelle Fratianni and Caitlin Kolesar and freshman Olivia Gaspar and Morgan Hodorowski. Head coach Ian Progin has many goals for the team this upcoming season.

“We hope to get better each day and be a better team as the season progresses,” Progin said. “We hope to become the best defensive team we can be, and to support each other no matter what occurs on the court or off the court.”

The team hopes to improve on these goals to prepare for their toughest competition, Franklin, who they will play twice; they have the No. 1 ranked senior in the state who is going pursue a Division 1 basketball career in college, and it is sure to be a tough game for them.

Come out to support the Lady Raiders Basketball team at their first game on Dec. 14, at Gill St. Bernard School.