N-W girls basketball looks for new heights

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, November 30, 2006

Who are these tall young ladies masquerading as the Niagara-Wheatfield girls basketball team?

Short and speedy has been the Falcons’ calling card for the last several seasons, but now head coach Diane Fegatilli gets to find out how the other half lives. She’ll have the luxury of putting five players on the floor between 5-foot-9 and 5-11, if she so chooses.

“It’s going to be unique,” Fegatilli said. “We’re going to be able to create a lot of mismatches, but it’s almost like a double-edged sword. We’ll have a big advantage in height on most nights, but we may have a problem dealing with speed.”

You can add experience to the Falcons’ arsenal as four starters return from the team that went 5-9 last season in the Niagara Frontier League and 6-16 overall. Fegatilli went with a lot of sophomores last season and now has eight juniors for the 2006-07 season, and just a pair of seniors.

Leading the way is 5-9 senior Michele Schaffer, a four-year starter at forward. In years past, that made her about the tallest player on the team, but this year she may find herself at point guard because of her experience and her ability to bring the ball up the court.

Fegatilli also welcomes back a trio of starters in 5-10 juniors Mia McKie and twin sisters Kaylee and Kyrstin Lekki. McKie is a forward and Kaylee Lekki will jump center. Kyrstin Lekki is a dangerous outside shooter and will create plenty of mismatches at guard.

The Falcons have some flexibility in their lineup. If Fegatilli wants to go with all size, she can use 5-11 junior Caitlin Juzwiak, up from the junior varsity team. If she wants more speed, she can go to returning senior guard Lottie Printup or sophomore guard and JV alum Kayley Oddo.

“How well the players can adjust to different positions will play a big role in how well we do this year,” Fegatilli said. “Michele will have to get used to playing some guard. Mia McKie was a guard last year, but she grew several inches and now finds herself at forward. But they work hard and they’re getting used to things.”

Fegatilli also has four more juniors to fit into the puzzle. Forward Sarah Patterson is 5-9 and she returns to the program after a year off. Guards Megan Walck and Corinne Bolea move up from the junior varsity, and guard Mary Brayley is a transfer from Lewiston-Porter. Aleona Tikhonoba, an exchange student from Russia, is the team’s manager.

Fegatilli figures that her team can bring the ball up the court and run an offense. It’s the defense that worries her, especially if teams try to run on the Falcons. Traditionally, they try to play an intense man-to-man defense, but the Falcons may have to switch to a zone.

“No, I’m not concerned about our offense at all,” she said. “But I can see already that some of the really quick teams will be difficult to guard against.”