The Dexter Tigers girls basketball team will be replacing seven seniors who graduated last year. Photo courtesy of Lisa Prescott
DEXTER–When a team loses seven players, including four starters, a lot of adjustments have to be made. The Dexter Tigers girls basketball team is ready to make those adjustments.
“We are adjusting pretty well, losing seven seniors obviously has an impact. I think all the new players are doing very well,”junior center Megan Peach said. “Four of our starters will be new, not 100 percent sure who they will be, but Abby Webber, Katie (Batron), Skyler (Theodore), Sidney (Pratt). Ashley (Reynolds). They are all have been stepping up like crazy. Kayli Cunningham has been here forever, but she has more of a role now.”
The young Tigers will have a scheduled filled with teams with a roster of players with varsity experience. Included on that schedule is two games each against Piscataquis Community High School (PCHS) from Guilford and Penobscot Valley High School (PVHS) from Howland. Those teams are picked third and fourth respectively in the Eastern Maine Sports preseason predictions. Dexter will also have two games each against Orono and Foxcroft Academy, who are expected to contend in class B.
“Everybody has everyone back. Look at our schedule. FA (Foxcroft Academy) has everyone back, OOrono, Bucksport, Stearns, Howland. We are the one team that doesn’t have everybody back. Our league is going to be very competitive and balanced and tough. I expect us to have our hands full every night,”coach Jody Grant said. “I am not sure I remember the last time a team had seven seniors graduate from a team. Hats off to those kids, they all stuck with the program. You are not seeing that at a lot of places now. You are getting some teams that don’t field 12 kids for a roster, we had seven kids in a grade.”
Dexter has a tradition of hustle and strong defense. That is not expected to change, just because the names on the back of the uniforms are different then past years.
“This group has to understand that we have tried to develop a culture and tradition here where we expect certain things. We are always going to try and play hard and get at it defensively, share the ball on offense. Not try to do anything differently,”Grant said. “I have had to stop myself many times to remember, I need to have some patience, kids are not going to know certain things. That is the transition you go through when seven seniors graduate.”
Theodore and Katie Batron will jump into the senior leadership role. The Tigers open the season with road games against Bangor Christian and Penquis, before playing their home opener against Schenck.
Theodore said, “last yearwe had a lot of seniors, so it is a lot different being a young team. We have to work as a team even more.”
Batron added, “it is going well, we are young so we are working out the kinks. We are not pulling together as much as last years team, but it is going well.”
