Women’s basketball looks to defend Delta League crown
By Owen Yancher,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
After perhaps the greatest run in program history last season, the Davis High women’s basketball team is back to defend its 2014-15 Delta League title.
Last season, the Devil ladies boasted a 27-4 overall record, went undefeated in league play and recorded only one close home loss. The senior trio of Emma “Dunkatron” Stenz, Katie Grahn and Caitlin Mazzoleni conducted the supercharged locomotive team deep into the Sac-Joaquin section playoffs.
After handily disposing of Lodi High School 55-34 in the first round, the Devils advanced to play Lincoln of Stockton. In that game, Stenz contributed her second double-double performance of the playoffs with 23 points and 12 boards. Along with 21 points from fellow post-protector Mazzoleni, Stenz guided the team to a 74-67 victory in an overtime thriller.
From there, the road ahead stiffened. The team met St. Mary’s of Stockton, ranked third nationally, with only one loss at an out-of-state tournament. The result was a tough 86-48 loss to the Rams.
But the miraculous momentum of the explosive steam engine refused to let up. Davis destroyed Clayton Valley Charter Academy 52-36 in their next tournament match-up. The win catapulted the team back into the thicket of the playoffs, matching the ladies with the McClatchy Lions.
In McClatchy’s packed gymnasium, Davis fought admirably but was no match for the eventual state champions, and lost 77-54. The defeat ended the ladies’ season on a sour note, but the large group of Davis fans in attendance knew the success of the Devils’ season overshadowed the loss.
But enough about last year. The Devils are back and equipped with enough talent to make another deep run in the Sac-Joaquin section playoffs.
Returning from last year’s squad are seniors Rachael Allison, Anna Belenis and Faith Harlan, as well as juniors Cara Satre and Alyssa Lengtat and sophomore Kelsey Forrester.
Forrester, the workhorse of last year’s team, averaged 7.2 points per game, which will undoubtedly increase significantly this season. Forrester’s game improved significantly last winter. Her ball movement and security made the freshman look like a seasoned varsity veteran.
Speaking of ball movement, Belenis, the team’s outspoken offensive facilitator, is sure to set her teammates up with a plethora of open shots. Last season, Belenis averaged over four assists each game, which is also an underwhelming reflection of her offensive abilities.
In the post, Lengtat will assume the role of Dunkatron 2.0 and grab the majority of the rebounds. Satre will deny some more shots, looking to add to her nine blocks last season. Beyond the three-point arc, Harlan is a lurking deep threat and Allison can easily double her tally of 84 points last year with her jump shot, said to be so “wet” it could potentially end the California drought.
Apart from the varsity returners, the Lady Devils will have many new faces. Sophomore Grace Gulsvig will join juniors Tessa Malone, Sarah Grahn and Delaney Davis to add depth at the guard position. Juniors Maria Voss and Anika Kingsley will provide assistance in the paint at forward.
The Devils kick off their season tonight at Rodriguez High and will play a series of tournaments before starting Delta League play in early January. League heavyweights St. Francis and Pleasant Grove should make for some exciting contests against the defending champion Devils.
Not-to-miss match-ups include St. Francis on Jan. 8, which will be played at Sleep Train Arena in Natomas, as well as a rematch with state champs McClatchy in Davis on Jan. 23. The regular season concludes on Feb. 16 with a senior night finale versus Monterey Trail.
“Last year set the bar,” Belenis said. “League is going to be tough this year. Most teams are returning all of their impact players, but I expect us to go deep into the postseason again.”
Locked and loaded, the team is stocked with enough firepower to keep the spectacular steam engine sputtering.
