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NTL GIRLS' BASKETBALL: NEW LOOK NEB LOOKS TO KEEP TITLE STREAK GOING (2023-12-01)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
It’ll definitely be a new look Northeast Bradford girls’ basketball team this season. Longtime stars Kayleigh Thoman, Alena Beebe, and Kate O’Connor have all graduated, but despite the turnover, the Panthers are excited to go for their fifth straight NTL Small School title.

“I’m so excited,” said senior Lani Thomas. “I could not be happier to be back in the gym.”

Thomas and Emma Neuber are this year’s two seniors, both of whom started last year.

“I think we’re really going to be tested in all of our skills and limits,” Neuber said about replacing last year’s three starters. “I thin if we just focus on certain things, I think we should be able to do it. We lost a lot of our high end shooters last year, but I think we’ll be able to make up for that.”

Thoman, Beebe, and O’Connor averaged 30 of the team’s 48 points, which will be a lot to make up. However, they’ve done a good job over the years of bringing the next player up and not losing a beat.

“It’s just another season,” said coach Ben Beebe. “We did lose a lot, but these girls are going to bring it, so they’re exciting to watch.”

Neuber and Thomas combined for average just under 10 points per game last season, and they also bring back sixth woman, Leah Beebe, who scored four points per game and had 17 3-pointers on the year.

“We have a lot to make up, and we have a lot of talent to place, but I really think we have the girls,” said Thomas. “It’s going to be a huge team effort this year, and we’re all going to be working together to make up for that.”

Their JV team last year swept the NTL, and only had one loss all season - an overtime defeat to Mt. Carmel.

Lillie Maynard and Becca VanDeMark got spot time off the bench last year, while Lilah Hughes will be another player from JV that’ll figure into the line-up.

“We might struggle at the beginning a little bit this year, because we’re not used to everybody, but I think it’ll be good for the future,” Neuber remarked.

Look for them to play a little bit different of a style, being quite a bit smaller without O’Connor, but also being deeper in the guard position. There won’t be one player leading the team in scoring, it’ll most likely need to be a group effort.

“We don’t have a couple main scorers, everyone is going to have to chip in and do it,” said Beebe.

Defense has always been their calling card, anyway, and expect that to continue into this season.

“We’ve been practicing and training to have that same style, so I think that we really have that speed to be able to do exactly what we’ve been doing,” said Thomas.

While they’ve been strong in NTL play - winning four straight Division-II titles and being the first small school to win the NTL Showcase last year - they haven’t had quite the same success in the district playoffs.

They’ve come up just short of states the past few years, but hope to break through that bubble this season.

“I think we really need to focus on keeping our motivation up and just continuing to work together, and not getting frustrated with each other,” said Thomas. “Just making sure that, all around, it’s a big team effort and keeping the younger girls engaged as well as we’re going into those practices where they no longer have their games.”

ROSTER (Grades)

Lani Thomas (12)

Emma Neuber (12)

Lillie Maynard (11)

Becca VandeMark (11)

Lilah Hughes (11)

Leah Beebe (10)

Mallorie Maynard (9)

Katrina Russell (9)

Aurelia Kolesar (9)

Kara Dughi (9)

Sarah Gray (9)