The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Reloaded and ready to go
Elyria Catholic eyeing return trip to Columbus with core of D-III state semifinal team from 2017-18
Elyria Catholic’s improbable run to Columbus last season was impressive, but can the Panthers do it again?
Elyria Catholic will be much more seasoned, returning four starters from its Division III state semifinal team, including the twin towers of Abby and Ally Winnen, senior guard Reagan Schill and the sensational leadership of Faith Williams.
All in all, the gang is back and ready for another shot at a state title.
“Yeah, our expectations are to get back to where we were last year,” Elyria Catholic coach Eric Rothgery said. “That is kind of our theme this year: unfinished business. It was a great experience to get down there last year, but I think the girls would like to get down there and win.”
The Panthers have won four straight Great Lakes Conference championships.
Williams, a senior who recently committed to Wheeling Jesuit University, believes this year’s team is better than the one that turned heads throughout last year’s state tournament.
“I think that this year we have more chemistry and we click better,” Williams said. “We’re more focused because we made it there and we know that we can do it again. We have a better connection, and I really think that is going to help us this year in the long run.”
The experience that Williams and her teammates went through is something that can catapult a team to the next level, and she is hoping that it does.
“That experience was amazing,” Williams said. “The triple overtime (against Newton Falls) was part of one of the most amazing games to ever experience, and I think that experience will prepare us for this year.”
She is also glad to get the exhausting task of selecting a college out of the way so she can focus on Panther basketball.
“That’s really exciting for me, and it really felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders,” Williams said. “I’m already committed, so I don’t have to be looking to get recruited here or there, and I can just go play for EC. I don’t have to worry about that, and I can just focus all on EC basketball.”
With their size and versatility, the Winnen twins provided a nightmare matchup for all opposing coaches last season, and with the core intact, they’ll again look to provide a post presence while finding their way to the hoop.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to help my team win,” junior Ally Winnen said. “I trust my coaches, and if they need me do something, I’m going to do it. Our inside-out game has been very successful. I think we are going to try and do that this season and put it into play.”
Her sister Abby, who is also a junior, is relishing another chance to get back to Columbus.
“Last year was amazing,” she said. “It was amazing and it all just happened so fast ... but my mindset is that I’m going to do whatever I can to help my team every night that we step out on the floor. Whether that is playing post, shooting or just playing as hard of defense as I can. I just want to get the win and do the best I can to support the team.”
Rothgery will look for a faster pace to an even deeper bench than years past.
“We are going to try and pick up the pace of the game,” he said. “We are deeper than we have been in the past. I have probably played 10 or 11 kids in just about every one of our scrimmages. We are trying to give everybody a look, at least in the first half of the season and get as many people in the game as possible.”
Williams agrees the bench could be the X-factor in helping the Panthers make their way back to state.
“We have 15 girls on the team that can play,” Williams said. “All of our bench can really play, especially the Griffin twins, Stephanie and Kasey. It’s like right when there is a rebound and an outlet to me then I can throw it up and somebody is already running. Everybody is always ready to make a layup, and I think that we are really focusing on that and that is really going to help us.”