It’s starting to look like more of a normal girls’ basketball season as area teams didn’t experience nearly as much uncertainty as they did a year ago.

Area teams laced up their sneakers and hit the courts for the first time this season on Nov. 15, with most preparing to begin play this week.

This season will feature the return of several key staples, including the Corinne Feller Memorial Tournament, which is hosted by the Valley Central Vikings on Thursday and Friday.
The Vikings will host Middletown in Thursday’s nightcap and the Marlboro Dukes will face the John S. Burke Catholic Eagles in the opening game.

The winners and losers will face off Friday in the consolation and championship games.

Tournament officials are seeking alumni from the Valley Central girls’ basketball program to attend this year’s tournament. They will each be given a sash with their graduation year on it.

The Wallkill Panthers also will host their holiday tournament over with the opening rounds taking place on Dec. 18 and the championship being decided on Dec. 30.

The Panthers, who were 4-1, during last year’s shortened February COVID-19 season, will lose only one player – Kylie Detz – off last year’s team.

Wallkill coach A.J. Higby, in his 31st year, said he has high expectations for what he called a “talented group of basketball players”.

Returning are Emma Schwarzbeck, Emma Spindler, along with three sisters, Zoe Mesuch, Alexa Mesuch and Grace Mesuch. Also returning are Jordyn Detz, Jazmine Medina and Adeline Spignardo.

They will mix with a pair of newcomers, another set of sisters, Alex and Sam Dembinski.

But most of all, the Panthers are most excited about having three months of basketball, instead of three weeks.
“We’re so happy to have a full season ahead of us,” Higby said.

The excitement was echoed by Pine Bush coach Michelle Bouffard who said she is excited to not only have the full schedule to play, but also to have fans in the stands as teams played in empty gymnasiums to limit spread.

Fans will be back although fans and players will be masked.

For as experienced as the Panthers are, the Bushmen are not, having graduated five seniors off last year’s team, Isabella Colon, Tia Griffith, Serina Garmendiz, Nevaeh Ramirez and London Williams.

However, they will return key players in Jah-esa Stokes, Nate Burley and Amaya Segarra. Newcomers include Ketura Rutty, Amanda Watkins, Nevaeh Valentin and Leticia Watson.
“We are a very young team this year,” Bouffard said. “Coming off COVID last year, many of these girls did not play last year because Pine Bush did not have a JV team. We only have one senior, and we are looking to start building some chemistry between these young players. It will be exciting to watch them grow together.”

The Valley Central Vikings are losing a ton of talent from last year’s team, including Emma Rechtorovic, Madeline Feller, Deanna Murdock, Nickole Schmidt, Grace Palczewski, Julia Baisley and Shaina Cooney.

Seniors Olivia Watson, and juniors Mackenzie Delmonico and Riley Schmidt are expected to return.