Last season the Covington Lady Buccs put together a magical season by compiling a 20-5 record – their fourth 20-win season in six years and 11th in the history of the program dating back to the 1974-75 season. The Lady Buccs also won a share of the inaugural TRC Championship with a 12-2 conference record.

Three key components to last season’s success were Claudia Harrington, Claire Fraley and Parker Metz – three players who were lost to graduation. Harrington was the team’s leading scorer and finished her career 7th in program history with 1101 career points, while Fraley was the team’s leading rebounder and finished her career 2nd all-time with 733 career rebounds. Metz wasn’t a record-setter, but was a dependable player who contributed greatly to the success of the program due to her attitude and effort on the floor.

Those are three huge shoes to fill, but the Lady Buccs have the talent to overcome the losses to graduation.

Returning are junior Carlie Besecker and the Anderson sisters, Gracie – a junior – and Maggie – a sophomore. All three were greatly critical to the success last season.

Besecker averaged 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, while Maggie Anderson scored 8.5 points and recorded 4.8 rebounds per game. Gracie averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. All three will be counted on to provided leadership due to their varsity experience.

Senior Erika Gostomksy returns to the lineup after splitting time between varsity and junior varsity last season. Gostomsky contributed greatly last year in situations where depth was needed.

Also returning – after a one-year hiatus – is senior Meg Rogers. Rogers, who is a very talented softball player, returned to basketball her senior season, which is huge for the program due to her amazing quickness and athletic ability.

Depth could be a concern for Covington, but freshmen Avery Koffer and Delaney Murphy just might eliminate those concerns due to their potential. Both are quick and athletic and have the ability to handle the basketball and apply defensive pressure.

The Three Rivers Conference is loaded with talented teams this year, so the competition will be stiff. Bethel, the co-champs, return the majority of its roster, while Miami East returns 11 varsity players from a year ago.