Excitement is in the air at Magnolia High School’s girls’ basketball program this season, as 16 came out for the team, including 11 freshmen. MHS Head Girls’ Basketball Coach Dave Chapman, in his sixth season, will need to replace the graduating all-stater Padyn Ludewig, who has taken her talents to the next level at the University of Charleston.

With only two seniors out who are part of only five upper classmen to work with, Chapman will need his freshmen to quickly mature if they want to better their record from a season ago.

Dallas Mullett, the lone returning senior starter; Alivia Mellott; and Mallory Chapman will be called upon to lead the young Lady Eagles.

Mullett will play the point, while Mellott will handle the post and Chapman the perimeter. Expecting to join them in the starting rotation are freshmen Katie Blatt and Audrey Gibb, while sophomore Destiny Yoho and freshmen Kiera Standiford, Jasmine Litton, and Shannon Williams will come off the bench and play significant minutes.

“They sure work hard,” said Chapman of all his nine varsity players, adding that Blatt could emerge as a consistent double-figure scorer. The Blue Eagle coach hopes his young squad will commit fewer turnovers than they have in recent seasons. “I think they’ll improve fast, judging by how they’ve practiced,” Chapman observed.

“We seem to have a good mentality on valuing possession of the basketball,” he explained. “They will all dive on the floor to get loose balls. Our guards have the skills, but they’re going to benefit from the hustle by getting wide open jump shots. I think we’ll be even more balanced than we were last season.”

Mullett is a slasher that brings energy and a high motor. Chapman believes that Mullett will be able to knock down shots from anywhere on the court and is a threat if teams choose to play zone against the Lady Eagles.

A balanced scoring attack from each position makes Mullett most difficult to defend. Without a defensive star player, the Blue Eagles move the ball and let defenses dictate who steps up in which game.

Any night, Magnolia has a group of four or five girls that could put up 15-20 points a game, which makes it hard to guard this group of young girls.

Chapman expects to have balanced scoring and a different scoring leader each night. But, daughter Mallory has a knack of getting open and draining some shots from the outside, as well as in the paint. And that’s a nice threat to have at his disposal.

Who will lead the team in scoring is anyone’s guess. Magnolia will look to create its offense from its defense. The Lady Eagles may prove better at attacking the basket than trying to score from the outside.

“We are pretty young, so we are trying to mesh as a team still. If we continue to improve, it could be an interesting and rewarding season,” added Chapman.

Youngsters Blatt, Gibb, Standiford, and Litton will see plenty of court time.

Although Blatt and Gibb are penciled in to start, Standiford and Litton will also see plenty of time on the court.

Blatt is a freshman who plays like an upper classman and the other freshmen feed off her energy. She knows what to do in any circumstance. She can handle the ball well and has a nice stroke when shooting. She also can play any position on the court.

Additionally, Gibb and Standiford can do many things well and will be an asset to the team, while Litton is a post player that can rebound and can put-back shots on the paint and will see loads of playing time.

Others looking for varsity experience are Destiny Yoho and Shannon Williams, who also might get some junior varsity time.

With so many players out, it gives the Lady Eagles a chance to work on their game and bring themselves up slowly to the varsity team. Magnolia’s jayvee coach is Courtney Myers, who will inherit sophomore exchange student Steffi Tille and freshmen Kacie Jo Brown, Krysta Henderson, Lisa Patel, Haley Tuttle, Brianna Young, and Brittany Nice.

“The junior varsity players will finally get to develop and fine-tune their skills and every player will get to see major minutes of paying time,” said Chapman.

“It’s a big adjustment from junior high to high school and we have very capable coaches that get the girls ready for high school and the faster pace of the game.”

Chapman added, “In a nutshell, the girls get better each day. They trust in what we tell them and they trust each other. It’s an outstanding atmosphere here, that’s all I can ask for. It’s refreshing. It’s refreshing to come to practice every day. My team has a high basketball IQ.”

The Blue Eagles play a demanding schedule that will benefit them down the road when the second season arrives.

Magnolia is on the road for the first pair of games Dec. 6 at Wheeling Central and Dec. 8 at Monroe Central, with the junior varsity game getting underway at 6 p.m. and the varsity at approximately 7:30 p.m. The Eagles’ home opener is against Union Local, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m.