Bethlehem Banshees: 2021 Record-26-5
Coming off the heels of their most successful season in school history, the Banshees will have a few question marks with several answers. Two trips to the KHSAA State Tournament and an Elite Eight appearance are reasons to believe it could happen again, but with two of the biggest pieces to the machine that won 86-games and two Region championships in three years are gone and it will be a great test to find out if head coach Jason Clark can duplicate that magic with the returning players. Clark is still blessed with a strong guard trio of sophomore Carlie Thurmond and seniors Kasey Spalding and Bailey Bishop.
Thurmond really came on in her freshman year 316-points/28-made threes and has quick hands. Spalding was a consistent player scoring 200-points/made 25-threes and had 88-rebounds. Bishop got more playing time last season scored had 42-points/pulled down 57-rebounds and was a steady presence on the court. The inside threats will be junior Emma Filiatreau, who has worked hard during the offseason and scored 217-points/15-made threes and had 185 rebounds.
Junior Xaviara Smalley was a transfer, who began to make a bigger impact on the team late in the season and her tall frame allowed her to score 223-points and pull down 209-rebounds. The bigger question will be the bench and Clark’s sophomore kids in Kensey Clayton, Kloe Young, Ashlyn Miles, Tessa Miles and freshman Caroline Mattingly could form a strong bench as the season progresses. Despite the loss of both Amelia Hodges and Ella Thompson, the Banshee machine could continue to roll on. What happens this season and the next will decide whether they can make another successful run to the Rupp again.
Bethlehem Eagles: 2021 Record-5-19
In head coach Jordan Cooper-Livers third season, he will attempt to revive a team which struggled through a rough five-win season. The good news is that he will return five of the team’s top five scorers. The bad news is because many are football players and the Eagles are positioned for a deep playoff run, it may be a while before he can get them inside for their first practice. That’s still a great problem to have though.
Livers will have top scorer senior Camden Porter back after he scored 300-points and led the team in rebounds with 127. Junior guard Haydon Osborne will return as the top scoring guard with 265-points and was the best on the team with 36-made three pointers. Ladarion Montgomery was the team’s third leading scorer with 186-points and Zane Wickliffe returns (131-points) along with Sam Mudd (120-points). With a little more experience and a little bit of luck the Eagles should add to their win total of last season.
