Lehighton girls will be in rebuilding mode

Entering his 20th year as a head coach, Joe Berezwick has faced numerous rebuilding jobs.

But the second-year Lehighton mentor doesn’t know if he’s ever had to replace quite as much firepower as he does this year.

“I was blessed to come into a situation here a year ago where I had two outstanding players and a senior-dominated team,” said Berezwick. “Sky (Faust) and Aubrey (Blasiak) combined for over 37 points a game and did it all for us. They are definitely going to be missed.

“As a coach, you know you’re going to occasionally face rebuilding situations. But this might be the biggest one I’ve had in my career. I think we only have an average of about five or six points a game returning.”

But don’t think Berezwick is feeling sorry for himself. It’s actually just the opposite.

“I’m really excited about the season,” he said. “We have some dedicated upperclassmen and a great group of younger players. You can see the improvement every day we are on the court.”

Lehighton’s only returning starter from last year’s 15-9 squad is senior Emily Miller, who averaged 3.9 points a game — the most among returning players. She is joined by classmates Lillian Brown and Alexis Pantella as team captains. Brenna Long is the other Indian senior.

“Emily is a great kid who is providing leadership and experience for us,” said Berezwick. “We have a lot of younger players, so her role is extremely important.”

When Berezwick talks about the Indians being young, he’s not exaggerating. Nine of the 15 players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores.

“We have six freshmen and three sophomores, and a number of them are going to be counted on to play significant roles for us,” Berezwick said. “For just about all of them, this will be their first taste of varsity action. But I’m excited about the potential they have.”

With so many newcomers to the varsity roster, Berezwick said the starting lineup and rotation still haven’t been decided.

“I could see our rotation being as deep as 11 players,” he said. “I don’t know if we are going to have the type of dominate scorers we’ve had here the last couple of years with Sky and Aubrey. They had the potential to put up 20 or more points every time they stepped on the court.

“This year, I think we might have to rely more on a scoring- by-committee approach. I could see us having multiple players score eight or nine or 10 points a game.”

One of the young players capable of giving Lehighton some offense is freshman Hailey Miller — Emily’s younger sister.

“Hailey has looked good in our early practices, and I think she is definitely someone who has the potential to give us some scoring,” said Berezwick.

In addition to the seniors, Berezwick also mentioned juniors Tinaya Klotz and Emma Schappell, sophomores Ashley Marchessault, Alexis Solomon and Kelsey Gaston, and freshman Aaliyah Fisher among those who have impressed during early-season practices.

Others who could see playing time are freshmen Madison Lutsko, Gracie Williams, Cassidy McGee and Abigail Meckes.

“With so many new pieces, it’s impossible to know what to expect from the season,” said Berezwick. “But I’m excited to see how it plays out.

“Our goal is to make the district playoffs. But that’s not going to define whether it’s a successful season. Whether we win six games or 16 games, as long as we get better every day we step on the court, and play up to our abilities, I’ll be happy.”