Towson High School's girls basketball team saw modest growth last season -- going from two to seven victories -- but it was something to build on. And with a strong nucleus of players returning, second-year coach Rebecca Moyer is optimistic the Generals will continue to get better.
"Last year was huge for us," said Moyer, whose team opens the season Monday at Patapsco. "The girls have been playing together for two or three years now. They really have that chemistry. It's really fun watching them play."
Moyer said more players are playing more basketball, and that's evident in their performance.
"A lot of the girls would play basketball just to stay in shape for lacrosse and other sports," Moyer said. "They are getting better by playing outside of school. A couple of girls play AAU. They are sticking together and playing together. That's how we are able to build."
The return of three starters — senior forward Shelby Fragetta (5 feet 8), sophomore point guard Emily German (5-1) and junior shooting guard Samantha Chodkowski (5-8) — give the Generals reason for optimism.
Moyer plans to build the inside game around Fragetta, who is a solid rebounder with a nice outside shot.
"She hustles back on defense and does whatever she needs to rebound that ball for you," Moyer said. "She is just a hustler."
Junior forward Sarah Pugh (5-10), junior center Taylor Crawford (6-0) and senior forward Carolina Rutz (5-10) give Towson depth in the frontcourt.
The Generals have even more depth at guard, with eight on the 12-player roster.
Moyer raves about her starting backcourt of German and Chodkowski.
"She (German) is what I call my little firecracker," the coach said. "She will go after the ball and steal it when it counts. She (Chodkowski) is the player that always boxes out and crashes the boards."
German and Chodkowski will get backcourt help from two players who were on the junior varsity last yseason, sophomore Brykin Kutnik (5-6) and junior Georgia Schneidereith (5-6), and Schneidereith's sister, Maggie, a returning varsity player.
"We have a jayvee program now that is running the same type of things as the varsity," Moyer said. "It's not hard for them to transition to the varsity."
Three other guards, junior Jordan Gans and Nicole Guy Thomas (5-2) and senior Philesha Carter (5-5), a transfer from Western Tech, are competing for minutes.