Hoops preview: Crestview Lady Knights

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

CONVOY — With four starters back, a transfer student and several others with varsity experience, Crestview appears poised to make a strong run toward the 2019-2020 Northwest Conference girls’ basketball championship.

Head coach Mark Gregory’s returning starters from last year’s 15-7 (6-2 NWC) team are 5-8 senior guard Lexi Gregory (14 points, five rebounds, three assists per game), 5-7 junior guard Olivia Cunningham (11 ppg), 5-6 junior guard Bailey Gregory (nine ppg) and 5-9 senior forward Kaylee Wolford (three rpg). The transfer student is 5-7 junior guard Kylie Etzler, who averaged seven points per game last year at Teays Valley High School.

“Having veteran players definitely helps with the process, and Kylie has been a great addition to our team,” the fourth year head coach said. “It really helps, but we also have some new faces that need to get up to speed and get used to the physicality of high school basketball. It’s going to be a fun year with a great group of girls.”

“In addition to these girls, we have girls ready to step in and make our team better – Laci McCoy (5-9 freshman), Raegan Hammons (5-9 junior), Aleigh Chesbro (5-4 senior), Breena Grace (5-7 junior), Brynn Putnam (5-9 sophomore), Lexi Dull (5-8 junior), Mandy Macki (5-1 junior) and Emily Greulach 5-1 sophomore).

“We are excited about this season with a mixture of veterans and new faces,” Gregory said.

One thing that Crestview doesn’t have is overall size. The tallest players – Wolford, McCoy, Putnam and Hammons – are listed at 5-9.

“We will be outsized it most games that we play, but I like our skill set,” Gregory explained. “Our girls have huge hearts and play bigger than they are.”

Gregory’s assistant coaches are Kyle Hammons, Meghan Lautzenheiser and Becky Macki.

Bluffton and Columbus Grove shared last year’s NWC championship, with the Lady Knights and Spencerville sharing third place, and Gregory expects another tough conference race this season.

“I think our conference is as balanced as it ever has been, with lots of really good and well coached teams,” Gregory said. “Whoever wins it this year will have to make things happen on the road.”

Crestview will open the season this weekend with a pair of home non-conference games – Fort Recovery on Friday and Ottoville on Saturday. Other non-conference games on the schedule include Parkway, Delphos St. John’s, Fort Jennings, Kalida, Hicksville, Continental, Coldwater, Van Wert, Antwerp, Lima Central Catholic, Celina and Wayne Trace.

“We have an extremely tough non-conference schedule,” Gregory noted.

Friday’s game against Fort Recovery and Saturday’s game versus Ottoville will air live on 99.7FM WKSD.