Multi-year starters Nicole Silinskie and Cassidy Orzel return to lead a Wyoming Area girls basketball team that also has several other players with varsity experience.
Silinskie, a senior guard, is entering her third season as a starter.
Orzel, a forward who can play anywhere on the court, is another senior. She saw significant playing time as a freshman, started most of her sophomore year and was a starter before having her junior season shortened to eight games because of injury.
Silinskie led the team in total points last season and averaged 12.0 per game.
Orzel had team-high averages of 12.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in her second straight season of scoring in double figures.
“We’re excited to have her back,” Lady Warriors coach Chad Lojewski said.
Wyoming Area struggled through a 6-16 season in 2018-19, falling short of the District 2 Class 4A playoffs and finishing last in Division 2 with a 4-13 Wyoming Valley Conference record.
“Injuries hurt us last year, but that’s no excuse,” Lojewski said. “Other girls stepped into positions maybe ahead of what they would have been comfortable doing, but that’s the nature of sports and life.
“So, now we move forward and we have to make do with the situation we have. It’s certainly better right now at the beginning of this season than we were from the middle to the end of last season with our health and our athleticism. We’re going to take that as a positive and try to build on it.”
Wyoming Area has several candidates, with varying degrees of experience, to fill out the remaining spots in the starting lineup and the rotation of key substitutes.
Maria Amato, a junior post player, made some starts before also having her 2018-19 season cut short by injury.
Senior Mackenzie Nocchi and juniors Erika Holweg and Kaitlyn Slusser all played in at least 17 games last season.
Lojewski said he is expecting others from the junior class to emerge and may get contributions from some of the eight players who have moved up from the freshman team to the varsity/JV squad.
Juniors Ashley Songalia, Alana Aufiere and Grace Washney were all part-time varsity players a year ago.
“I’m really counting on the juniors to make good progress,” Lojewski said. “ … I think we have a very good, mature group of upperclassmen. We’ve got to find a way to mesh that with some very good, younger, athletic girls.”
Wyoming Area opens the non-league schedule Dec. 6 at home against defending Lackawanna League Division 4 and District 2 Class A champion Susquehanna, a state quarterfinalist a year ago.
With Wyoming Valley Conference realignment following the merger of the Wilkes-Barre athletic programs, the Lady Warriors go from the middle of three divisions to the lower of two divisions. They open the WVC schedule Jan. 2 at likely Division 2 favorite Holy Redeemer.
