By Laura Amato
The St. Francis Prep girls’ basketball team is hoping that last season is the gift that keeps on giving.
The Terriers earned a berth in CHSAA Class A girls’ basketball tournament last year and while the squad came up short against St. Mary’s in the semifinal, the squad is determined to keep building on that success.
“I think that’s a feeling that the girls remember and that’s kind of what we use as motivation every day,” said St. Francis coach Kerri White. “They haven’t really had that in a long time here and they’re trying to build off that. They’re coming in every day to work to get that feeling consistently.”
St. Francis graduated seven seniors from last year’s squad—which earned its postseason spot after a play-in victory over Nazareth—but White is certain this season’s group is even more determined to prove their worth on the court.
If anything, this group is an even bigger underdog, chock-full of first-year varsity players.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces and new people that are playing this year, so I feel like it’s going to take a little while to gel,” White said. “But I feel like we’ll get there. We’re young, we’re talented and, hopefully, going to have a good year.”
Emily Engstler is slated to lead the charge for the Terriers this season—a fresh face at St. Francis Prep, but an experienced player with a seemingly endless streak of determination.
The junior—who previously played at Christ the King and was sidelined last season due to CHSAA transfer rules—is anxious to get on the court and show just what the Terriers can do. She’s not looking to win from the get-go, certain there will be bumps in the road, but she is hoping to change a few opinions.
“I like when people say, like, ‘Oh, you’re a Terrier now, you’re going to lose,’” Engstler said. “But it’s fun because we play them and it’s a close game and even if you lose, you’ve scared them a bit. I think it’s going to be fun. I think we definitely have a good chance of winning.”
In addition to Engslter, St. Francis expects solid production out of senior Dorothy Matinale and Celina Roberts, who previously played at Archbishop Molloy.
The Terriers will also depend on freshman guard MacKayla Scarlett who emerged as a leader in the preseason, a sparkplug for the squad’s offensive attack.
“She’s probably one of the only people who are really going to adjust. And she’s adjusted great,” Engstler said of Scarlett. “I think we have a really good chance of showing people something they didn’t expect.”
St. Francis isn’t backing away from any challenge this winter. The squad’s early-season schedule starts with home matchups against Molloy and Christ the King as well as a tournament in Washington DC, taking on a pair of Maryland squads. It won’t always be easy and the Terriers aren’t banking on another playoff berth, but the team is hoping to build something on the court this season.
“Better than last year—that’s always your goal to improve from the year before,” White said. “It’s a lot of new kids, but that’s alright. We’re just going to work hard.”
