ARCANUM – The Arcanum girls basketball team returns five lettermen from last year’s squad, which advanced to the district finals of the Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament.
Senior guard Elle Siculan – the lone senior for the Lady Trojans this season – and sophomore guard Gracie Garno return after starting on last year’s district runner-up team. Also back for the Trojans are junior forward Macey Hartman, sophomore forward Kayla O’Daniel and sophomore forward Camille Pohl.
Garno is the team’s top returning scorer as she averaged 7.2 points per game as a freshman, which was second most on the team last year. O’Daniel averaged 5.0 points per game, Elle Siculan averaged 2.7, Pohl averaged 2.1, and Hartman averaged 1.0.
Garno also led the Trojans with 3.1 assists per game last season. O’Daniel is the team’s top returning rebounder as she pulled down 4.3 rebounds per game last year, which was second on the team.
The five returning varsity players give the Trojans a good core to build around, but the lineup is still to be determined.
Newcomers to the varsity roster – junior forward Jenna Beatty, junior forward Lexi Unger, junior guard Sasha Derringer, sophomore guard Sydney Artz, sophomore guard Elliana Sloan, freshman guard Aidan O’Brien and freshman guard Eva Siculan – all are contending for playing time as well.
“We expect to compete and to improve as the season goes,” Arcanum coach Matt Grote said. “We have a lot of players in new roles this season, and we know it will take time to figure it all out.”
Arcanum will begin the process of figuring out its lineup when it hosts the Lady Trojan Tip-Off – a new season-opening tournament this weekend at Arcanum. The two-day tournament also will feature Brookville, Franklin Monroe and Northwestern
“We are looking forward to having a great year, and to start it off with the new Lady Trojan Tip-Off Tournament is awesome,” Grote said. “We’re excited to have some quality teams come in with FM, Brookville and Northwestern, and to host this event for the school and community is just a great opportunity for us.”
