November 25, 2008
The Tri-Village Lady Patriots completed a very successful 2007-2008 season winning a Sectional Title while advancing to the Districts for the third time in school history. They faced a strong Fort Loramie Redskins team who would end their season with an overall record of 18-6.

Coach Brad Gray was more than pleased with the season and hopes to build off the hard work and foundation laid down by the seniors who graduated.

Gone are seniors from last year’s team Tina Allison, Amelia Frazier and Erin Bundy. Also gone is a two year starter Jordyn Fisherback.

Two players the Patriots will miss this year is Tina Allison & Amelia Frazier.

Tina was a 4-year starter who completed a fine career at number 6 on the all time scoring list and number 4 in career rebounds along with many other accomplishments.

Amelia Frazier was a steady force and floor leader for the team last year and leaves her mark as the best ever free throw shooter at 77% at Tri-Village.

It is obvious the program has lots of work to do for the upcoming 2008-2009 campaign and finds itself in a re-building year with very little experience. The Patriots return just one starter from last year's team and have no seniors. The lone returning starter is Kaila Burns who averaged 8.5 points a game last season mostly from long range. As the most experience player on the team Kaila will be looked upon to lead the team not only by her play but vocally as well.

The Patriots also return one other letterman from last year’s team, Hillarie Frech. While Frech only averaged 2 points a game she usually found herself in the role of guarding the other teams best guard out front. They will continue to look for her to provide solid on ball defense and to handle the ball with more strength this year.

The Patriots traditionally has been blessed with size in the post… but this team will be somewhat more guard oriented. “This is the fasted team I have had in my three years here,” said Coach Brad Gray. Look for the Patriots to run a 4 guard set with 1 post player much of the time.

“We will still look to pound the ball inside as often as we can, but we also feel as though we will be able to shoot better from the perimeter than the past two seasons,” added Gray.

Keys to the season will be who can replace Amelia Frazier. “I feel as though she is going to be the toughest player for us to replace because of the toughness and leadership she brought to the table, not to mention that she was a 2 year starter at the point position.” remarked Gray. 

On a positive note given that the Patriots are a young team with no seniors Coach Gray and his team are looking at this a being a two year process knowing that everyone will be back next year.

Here is a preview of the 2008 – 2009 Varsity Players:

#24 - Kaila Burns Jr. - Kaila returns to the starting lineup for a third year. She is one of the best spot shooters in the league.  She made 50 3's last year as a sophomore.  

#12 - Hillarie Frech Jr. - Hillarie is the teams best on ball defender and will be counted on to guard the other team's best guard each game.  She also has the ability to be a good shooter.

#14 - Adrianna Finkbine Jr. - Adrianna is versatile athlete who can play either a guard spot or post if needed. She is a very tough competitor who will compete hard every night.  

#30 - Bre Abney Jr. - Bre is another guard who also is a tough competitor that brings a scorer's mentality who likes to take the ball to the basket. She will be counted on to help handle the ball against pressure.  

#34 - Kylie Thomas Jr. - Kylie provides more depth at the guard spot and does a nice job of getting out and running the floor. She has a knack for getting to the free throw line and also does a nice job of anticipating things defensively.

#44 - Brittani Abney Jr. - Brittani is one of only two post players on the team this year.  She was able to fill in and give some varsity minutes towards the end of last season and is a very physical player who rebounds the ball well.  

#20 - Chelsey Royer So. - Chelsey will be looked upon to lead at the point guard position for this team.  She sees the floor very well, is very quick and knows how to use her quickness to her advantage.  She also has shown the ability to knock down the outside shot.  She will be counted on to provide ball pressure on the defensive end as well.

#45 - Kayla Linkous Fr. - Kayla is just a freshman but already is a very strong post player. Kayla is very skilled for a freshman and will be counted on to provide the inside presence needed due to the losses of Tina Allison and Jordyn Fisherback. Kayla has a lot of quickness for her size and moves well without the basketball. She also gives another dimension in helping bring the ball up the court against the opposing team’s pressure.  

#10 - Hallie Mikesell Fr. - Hallie is a talented shooter.  She provides the team with another shooting threat, especially against zone defenses.  

This rounds out the varsity team for 2008-2009.

The league should be fairly balanced this year. Most experts are predicting Miami East as heavy favorites for the top spot as they basically bring back their entire team that advanced into the Regional Tournament last year while going undefeated in conference play.

This leaves a host of teams vying for the top 2 or 3 spots and if the Lady Patriots hope to nab one of those spots they are going to have to grow up in a hurry. They will see action out of the gate starting with the annual Bill Burkett Lady Patriots Tournament as they host Ansonia, Arcanum and Franklin Monroe on Friday November 28th and Saturday November 29th.

So all you Patriot fans come out and root on your team. Go Patriots!