AnnArbor.com's first of seven winter sports previews takes a look at Washtenaw County's girls basketball teams.

Kelcy Barott (sr., F/C), Huron: The River Rats’ lone returning starter from last year’s district championship squad, Barott will be depended on heavily on both ends of the floor.

Kamilah Carter (sr., G), Pioneer: Carter filled up the stat sheet for Pioneer last season, leading the team with 13 points, six assists, and four steals per game.

Emily Everett (sr., F), Saline: Everett had over 200 points and 200 rebounds last year for the Hornets. She is a strong, versatile player who can score in a variety of ways.

Delisia Morris (sr., G), Ypsilanti: Morris returns for her fourth varsity season after averaging double-digits in points last year.

Maya Richmond (sr., F), Pioneer: Richmond nearly averaged a double-double last season and will be counted on for big things again this year. She is a versatile player who can guard most any position on the floor.

Devin Talley (jr., G), Huron: Whether it be outside shooting, or slashing to the basket, Devin Talley can score and will be looked to be the next in a long succession of high-scoring Huron guards.

CHELSEA BULLDOGS Chelsea brings back nine letter winners from of a team that had no seniors last year. The Bulldogs won’t be looking to rely on just one or two players to carry the team, as they have as many as 10 who can contribute each night.

Coach: Todd Blomquist (12th year). Last Season: 8-13. Key Returners: Hannah Fitzsimmons (sr. G), Rachel Cooperrider (sr., G), Emily Cottrell (sr., F), Amber Stebelton (sr., F). Key Newcomers: Riley Singleton (so., F), Grace Sauers (so., G). Strength: Depth and balance. Weakness: Rebounding. Chelsea will have to find more aggression and toughness under the basket. Outlook: The Bulldogs will be reaping the rewards of playing without seniors last year. Chelsea has a veteran group that should be able to play well as a unit. Coach Blomquist says: “We want to control the tempo, play good defense and rebound. And hopefully our defense can create opportunities for us.

DEXTER DREADNAUGHTS The Dreadnaughts return eight players from last year’s team, but two of them are out with knee injuries to start the season. Dexter should still have good depth, but they’ll have to find a way to overcome the injuries.

Coach: Mike Bavineau (15th year). Last Season: 13-8. Key Returners: Serena Bidwell (sr., G), Olivia Cares (jr., F), Zaryn Jennings (sr., F), Riley McDonald (so., G), Nyki Caldwell (sr., F). Key Newcomers: Polly Washbaugh (jr., F). Strength: Depth. The Dreadnaughts are confident they can get good contributions from anyone on their roster. Weakness: Powder puff football. Last season’s leading scorer, Sarah Moir, hurt her knee in the girls’ gridiron contest this fall, and it remains to be seen how much time she’ll miss. Outlook: Dexter has plenty of depth and experience, but they’ll need to find some players to step up, especially if Moir’s injury keeps her out of action for an extended period. Coach Bavineau says: “We’ve been able to add some solid depth, which will help in practice and in games. We’ll all have to contribute in our own way.”

FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD FIGHTING IRISH Gabriel Richard doesn’t have a single senior coming back from last year’s team, but the Irish shouldn’t be lacking varsity experience. Both Sarah Falvey and Angela Broggi have been starters since they were freshmen. Broggi, who played guard in previous seasons, will switch to center this season to fill a need in the post.

Coach: Matt Carroll (5th year). Last Season: Catholic League champions. Key Returners: Sarah Falvey (jr., G), Angela Broggi (jr. G/C), Mary Yocum (jr., G). Key Newcomers: Taylor Hinkson (jr. G), Carrie Wright (jr., G). Strength: Guard play and shooting ability. Weakness: Rebounding and interior defense. After Broggi, the Irish lack height and depth up front. Outlook: If the Irish can find players to step up and contribute around Falvey and Broggi, they should be able to contend for another Catholic League title. Coach Carroll says: “Falvey and Broggi have been through it and grown up. I’m not too worried about our leadership or experience. We are young on paper, but we’ll be fine in terms of game experience.”

GREENHILLS GRYPHONS Last season was a rough one for the Gryphons, but this year promises to be a smoother ride. Greenhills brings back three starters, and has switched to a different division in their conference in order to play a more suitable level of competition.

Coach: Lisa Mack (7th year). Last Season: 1-19. Key Returners: Rachel Darrabie (sr., G), Marissa Thompson (jr., F/C). Key Newcomers: Alexis Boyd (jr., F). Strength: Defense. The Gryphons have a group that is eager to buckle down on their opponents. Weakness: Lack of aggression on offense, numbers and health. Outlook: This should be a much-improved team from last year, and with the switch in conference, Greenhills should win a lot more games. Coach Mack says: “I think we can compete in our league and try to be one of the better teams in the league. After last season, our mental toughness is there, now we just have to execute.”

HURON RIVER RATS The River Rats lost eight seniors, including four starters, from last year’s team. Replacing talented players is nothing new for Huron. Last season DeVonyea Johnson stepped up to replace the scoring and leadership of Tyler Hardy. Kelcy Barott and Devin Talley will lead the way this year for Huron, as they look to put together another strong season.

Coach: Steve Vinson (8th year). Last Season: 21-3, lost regional final to Canton. Key Returners: Kelcy Barott (sr., F/C), Devin Talley (jr., G), Brionna Kilgore (sr., G). Key Newcomers: Logan Sims (jr., C). Strength: Athleticism. The River Rats will look to pressure their opponents full court and get easy baskets off of turnovers. Weakness: Inexperience. Outlook: It may take this team some time to gel together, especially while playing a tough schedule early in the season, but by season’s end the Rats should be poised to make another playoff run. Coach Vinson says: “The learning curve is big right now. We have to be more patient, and expect more mistakes. But at the same time, we aren’t lowering expectations.”

LINCOLN RAILSPLITTERS Lincoln is coming off a season in which they won just one game, but the Railsplitters will be one of the tallest teams in the county, and are looking to improve.

Coach: Mike Hoskins (1st year). Last Season: 1-19. Key Returners: Arielle Cargor (so., G), Katelyn Morris (so., F), Rikki Scherdt (sr., G). Key Newcomers: Jaslynn Rollins (so., F). Strength: Height. Lincoln has three players over 6 feet tall. Weakness: Inexperience. Outlook: The Railsplitters should be able to improve on their record from last season, but it may take some time for their young players to develop. Coach Hoskins says: “The keys for us are for the girls to buy in to what we’re doing, and we need to be better defensively.”

MANCHESTER FLYING DUTCHMEN Manchester is coming off its best season in years, but lost eight seniors off that team, including two four-year varsity players. Despite their youth, the Dutch are hoping to pick up where they left off and will look to push the pace on both ends, pressuring the ball defensively and then trying to score off of turnovers.

Coach: Cori Kastel (5th year). Last Season: Went 14-9, won first district title in 12 years. Key Returners: McKenna Erkfritz (so., F), Taylor Manders (so., G), Amanda Davis (sr., G) Taylor Park (sr., G/F), Nichole Jackson (jr., G), Tabby Withrow (sr.,). Key Newcomers: Jesse Coltre (so., G). Strength: Speed and quickness. Weakness: Inexperience. Outlook: If the team can gel together throughout the season, it may be able to make some noise down the stretch again this year. Coach Kastel says: “Our key to success will be believing we can do it. We’ll be trying to pick up from last year when we had a taste of success. Now we know what is feels like to be successful and we want to prove it wasn’t a fluke.”

MILAN BIG REDS After one of the best seasons in Milan history, the Big Reds go to work having lost four starters from a district and Huron League championship team, including All-County Dream Teamer Lindsey Lammers. This year’s team won’t be as athletic as last year’s squad, but will try to win games by slowing the tempo, limiting turnovers, and playing tough defense. Look for the Big Reds to depend on Corinna Schneider as a go to player on the frontline.

Coach: Jeff Scott (3rd year). Last Season: Milan went 19-4, won its first Huron League championship in school history, and was district champs. Key Returners: Corinna Schneider (jr., F), Kaitlin Mitchell (sr., G), Sarah Ramsey (sr., G). Key Newcomers: Laura Heath (jr., F). Strength: Defense will be Milan’s calling card this year, as the Big Red will be trying to hold their opponents to single digits each quarter. Weakness: Inexperience. Outlook: Instead of relying on the shooting of Lammers and Co. like last year, Milan will try to slow the pace and win with defense this season. But they’ll have to find a way to score points, or it could be a tough season. Coach Scott says: “We’ll win as many as we earn this year. Last year we had a lot of athleticism; this year we’ll have to be smarter and play with more poise to earn victories.”

PIONEER PIONEERS This team has the promise to be the best that the Pioneers have had in years. Pioneer has seven returning letter winners, including a pair of 2009 All-County Dream Teamers, Kamilah Carter and Maya Richmond, and has its sights set on a deep run in the playoffs.

Coach: Crystal Westfield (20th year). Last Season: Pioneer went 15-8, and lost to Huron in districts. Key Returners: Kamilah Carter (sr., G), Maya Richmond (sr., F), Megan Schechtman (sr. G), Emma Brann (sr. C). Key Newcomers: Jenny Fichera (so., G). Strength: Chemistry and experience. Weakness: Westfield—and her seniors—are working to teach and integrate a group of less experienced players that will be coming off the bench this season. Outlook: Pioneer has a talented, veteran team that will win a lot of games this year. But the big question is: will they be able to get past Huron come playoff time? Coach Westfield says: “Athletically this is one of the better teams I’ve had in quite a few years. We’re going to do some things we haven’t been able to do in the past.”

RUDOLPH STEINER STORM Rudolph Steiner will have a very young team this year, but the good news is they have 12 players on the roster, up from eight last season. What the Storm lack in height, they will try to make up for with quickness and a pressure defense.

Coach: Jim Belanger (1st year). Last Season: Not available. Key Returners: Maureen Terrill (sr., G), Anika Sproull (so., G), Zion Grosshuesch (so., F/C). Key Newcomers: Tessa Belanger (so., F/C) Strength: Speed and quickness. Weakness: Size and inexperience. Outlook: It could be a tough transition early on as Rudolph Steiner puts a lot of young players on the floor, but they are hoping to be playing winning basketball in the second half of the season. Coach Belanger says: “The key to season will be to the kids buying into my system—pressure defense, turnover and break. We’ll be going through a lot of defensive schemes.”

SALINE HORNETS Saline has just two seniors, but isn’t lacking for experience. Emily Everett returns as Saline’s leading scorer and rebounder from last year, and Saline hopes to build off of last year’s good playoff run.

Coach: Jason Pickett (8th year). Last Season: 12-10, district champs. Key Returners: Emily Everett (sr., G/F), Britten Clark (jr., G), Nora McCann (jr., G), Jill Borowski (jr., C), Katie Crysler (jr., F). Key Newcomers: Amanda Price (jr., C). Strength: Competitiveness. The Hornets have a deep group of players that loves to compete, and understand their roles on the floor. Weakness: At times, the Hornets can be too unselfish offensively—passing up good shots to try and find a better shot for a teammate. Outlook: With improved squads across the board in the SEC Red, it may be tough sledding in league play for the Hornets. Coach Pickett says: “This is group of kids doesn’t care who does what, they just want to get it done.”

SKYLINE EAGLES This will be the first full varsity season for the Eagles. Last year Skyline fielded a junior varsity team that played half its games against varsity competition. The Eagles have a versatile, balanced roster that will look to pressure the ball and create fast break opportunities, but the Eagles will be thrown into the fire in the SEC Red this season.

Coach: Rodrick Wells (1st year) Last Season: Skyline’s junior varsity team won more games than it lost against a mix of varsity and junior varsity competition, and the freshman team went 15-3. Key Returners: Kira Smith (so., F), Meggie Smith (jr., G), Sidney Allen (jr., F), Allison Young (so., G). Key Newcomers: Kierra Jordan (so., F), Liz Kennedy (so. G/F), Janae Sims (so., G), Anita VanderMuelen (fr., G). Strength: Depth. Weakness: Inexperience at the varsity level. The learning curve will be steep, especially early in the season, as the Eagles adjust to the strength and speed of varsity competition. Outlook: The Eagles may struggle early in the season as the young team gets acclimated to its competition, and to each other. But Wells isn’t satisfied to simply build towards the future; he wants to see his team be competitive each night, and hopes to finish .500 in the SEC. Coach Wells says: “We want to be known as a hardworking team. We want to build a foundation of fundamentals and do things the right way.”

WASHTENAW CHRISTIAN WILDCATS The Wildcats will have just eight players this year—including one freshman and two eighth graders—so they’ll be depending on their five returning players. Coach Bob Trevino loves the way his players interact with one another and represent their school.

Coach: Bob Trevino (2nd year). Last Season: 8-7. Key Returners: Becca Grimes (jr., G), Rachel Ballantyne (so., G/F). Key Newcomers: N/A. Strength: Team unity. Weakness: No one on the Wildcats’ bench has varsity experience. Outlook: Trevino is optimistic that his squad can contend with rivals in its district, such as Rudolph Steiner and Calvary Christian. Coach Trevino says: “We are a real close knit team. They’re really solid kids, great role models and the kind of kids you’d want to have as a daughter.”

WHITMORE LAKE TROJANS Whitmore Lake struggled through a winless season last year, and it has been a long time since the Trojans have had a winning season. But first year coach Jennifer Taylor is fired up about having a team that is excited and dedicated to taking the program to new heights, but will have to do it with just two players with previous varsity experience.

Coach: Jennifer Taylor (1st year). Last Season: 0-20. Key Returners: Jessica Spiegelberg (sr., C), Myranda Owens (jr., G). Key Newcomers: Melissa Dreffs (so., G), Alyssa Milliman (so., F), Abby Salata (so., F). Strength: The Trojans now have a young nucleus of players committed to turning around the Whitmore Lake program. Weakness: Inexperience. Outlook: No where to go but up after last year’s winless campaign. Coach Jennifer Taylor says: “I’m really excited about coaching this group of young girls because I think this is the group that is going to turn things around at Whitmore Lake, because they are dedicated to turning it around. I think we’re going to shock some people this year.”

WILLOW RUN FLYERS Willow Run, led by coach Anthony Davis, went 7-13 last season. The Flyers may have a hard time equaling last year’s win total, however, after graduating last year’s leading scorer, Kierra Rolax. The team has few returning players, and is dealing with low numbers due to injuries.

Coach: Anthony Davis (4th year). Last Season: 7-13. Key Returners: Keya Lawson (jr., G), Tatianna Cooper (sr., G/F) Key Newcomers: Too early to tell. Strength: When Lawson heats up from beyond the arc, she’s as good as anybody. Weakness: Low numbers and injuries. Outlook: Unless the Flyers can get healthy in a hurry and get some more girls out for the squad, it could be a long season.

YPSILANTI PHOENIX Ypsilanti struggled last year with an inexperienced roster, but it returns four starters including leading scorer Delisia Morris, and shot blocking threat Tyler Richardson, who three times last season had double digit totals in blocks. They were strong defensively last season, and look to be a much improved offensive team.

Coach: Chris Slater (2nd year) Last Season: 5-14. Key Returners: Delisia Morris (sr., G), Allante Larkin (sr., F), Tyler Richardson (sr., C). Key Newcomers: Jasmine Jones (so., G). Strength: Defense. Weakness: Ball handling. Outlook: The Phoenix had a hard time scoring enough points to stay in games last year, but Slater is hoping that the addition of Jones - who will start at point guard, allowing Morris to play shooting guard - will help open up the offense. Coach Chris Slater says: “If we can take care of the ball, we’re a team to look at.”