Division III: Will Irish's luck run out?
Winners of 10 straight district titles, York Catholic returns winning tradition
A look at top storylines entering the 2015 season in YAIAA Division III girls' basketball:
Can York Catholic continue to reload? The Fighting Irish lose four senior starters from last year's District 3 Class AA championship team, but bring back sophomore Kate Bauhof at guard. Much, if not all, of the rest of the lineup will be filled out by seniors who have been part of this winning program. York Catholic regularly reloads rather than rebuilds, and has won 10 straight district championships. We'll see if they can do it again.
How much will Tracy's injury hurt Hanover? The Hawkettes were competitive last season and a lot of that had to do with Soukaina Tracy, who scored her 1,000th career point and led the team in scoring. But the senior will miss the entire season with a knee injury sustained during the offseason, leaving Hanover with a big void to fill. The Hawkettes have a deep, balanced team with a lot of juniors, so it will be interesting to see who steps up.
How does Delone Catholic replace Maddie Comly? Maddie Comly, who now plays for Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, averaged 22.7 points per game last season, accounting for nearly half of the Squirettes scoring. She helped lead the team to a fourth-place finish in the District 3 Class AA playoffs, but Delone Catholic is now left trying to build on that success without her. If the Squirettes are going to get back to the state playoffs after missing out last season, they'll need to find a way to make up for Comly's departure.
Is Division III still the private schools and then everyone else? York Catholic and Delone Catholic have earned the top-two spots in Division III each of the last five seasons, leaving a noticeable gap between the division's private schools and public schools. With the amount of firepower both the private schools have lost from last season, some of the public schools may see this year as an opportunity to capitalize and make the YAIAA tournament for the first time.
Can Biglerville build on last year's success? The Canners have a new coach in Mark Silko, but return three starters from a team that went 13-10 last season and earned the No. 6 seed in the District 3 Class AA tournament. Leading scorers Rebecca Issac and Maddie Wenk are gone, but this team might have the best shot of any public school in the division to earn a spot in the YAIAA tournament if the returning players can carry some of their winning ways into this season.
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Division I girls' basketball: Is another great race for in store?
Division II girls' basketball: Changes in coaching, player personnel