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Colonial Conference Girls’ Notebook

Liberty Division. Haddonfield has a new girls' basketball coach in Dave Kosa, but the Bulldogs are in a familiar position as favorites in the Colonial Conference.

Liberty Division. Haddonfield has a new girls' basketball coach in Dave Kosa, but the Bulldogs are in a familiar position as favorites in the Colonial Conference.

Last season, Haddonfield was the champion in the first season of the Liberty Division, and with four returning starters, the Bulldogs will be difficult to unseat.

Emily Grabiak, a 5-foot-8 senior, and 5-7 senior Briana Mulava are returning first-team all-Liberty selections. The other returning starters are 5-11 senior Tina Davis and 6-1 senior Paige O'Malley.

The Bulldogs have depth with 5-11 junior Alex Marshall, 5-9 senior Amelia Ryan, 5-9 junior Lauren Fell, 5-11 sophomore Maddie Kiep, 5-6 sophomore Catherine Senopoulos, 5-3 senior Ella Strauss, and 6-3 junior Erin Brogan.

Sterling is expected to contend with three experienced junior starters. They are 5-6 guard Kylie O'Donnell (11.7 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game), 5-4 guard Monica Burch (9.0 ppg., 4.6 rpg.), and 6-1 forward/center Tanjae Lewis (7.3 ppg., 5.3 rpg.).

Key returning letter-winners include 6-1 junior Rachel Hodge, 5-5 sophomore Erica Hoffman, and 5-6 seniors Kelsey Gilligan and Cristal Morales.

Two freshmen looking to contribute are 5-9 Anyssa Sanchez and 5-6 Tyra Satchell.

Collingswood coach Nancy O'Neill is approaching a milestone, heading into the season with a 297-150 career record.

O'Neill welcomes back two starters, 5-6 junior Nadirah Robinson, who averaged a team-high 14.6 points, and 5-5 senior Sam Gregg. Key letter-winners include 5-9 senior Casey Deets and 5-7 senior Imani King.

Haddon Heights has four starters back. They are led by 5-8 senior Kierra Smith, who coach Angela Scott says is capable of a double-double in every game. The others are 5-4 senior Helaina Adams, 5-10 senior Jackie Eppright, and 5-5 senior Alexis English.

The Garnets also have four returning letter-winners - 5-2 junior Noel Higgs, 5-5 senior Jasmyne Harper, 5-2 senior Megan Roney, and 5-10 senior Katie Jeckot.

At West Deptford, first-year coach John McKeown inherits a young team. The three returning starters are 5-6 junior Kelly Brewster; 5-1 junior Lauren Boegly; and 5-5 guard Danielle McKeown, daughter of the coach.

Overbrook looks to improve after winning just two games last season, but the Rams still have limited varsity experience. Coach Jim Puderbach will rely heavily on three returning senior starters, 6-0 Courtney Luongo, 5-8 Michelle Foster, and 5-7 Mary Kate Verespy. Foster is a third-year starter, who will handle the point guard duties.

Patriot Division. After winning 17 games, Paulsboro wants to take another step and challenge favored Haddon Township.

The Red Raiders are led by two returning first-team all-Patriot players, 5-11 junior Lavon Childress (19.3 ppg., 13.6 rpg.) and 5-4 sophomore Tiaja Harrold (11.3 ppg.).

Other players with varsity experience are 5-6 sophomore Tia Scott (7.1 ppg.), 5-7 senior Alexus Gaines (6.9 ppg.), and 5-4 sophomore Evera Lee.

Gateway has the potential for another winning season, especially with 5-11 junior Meghan Nowak leading the way. Nowak averaged 18.7 points and 13.3 rebounds, and was a threat from anywhere on the court with 23 three-point field goals.

The Gators' other returning starter is senior forward Aleksa Sienkiewicz.

Senior guards Lauren Lundquist, Gina Grant, and Allie Nodes are among six returning letter-winners. The others are junior forwards Megan Glenn and Peggy Nicolle, and junior guard Aimee Mulholland.

Sophomore Colleen Connolly is a newcomer who provides depth at point guard.

Lindenwold returns four starters from a 15-win team, although replacing graduated all-conference point guard Aspen Price-Perry will be difficult.

Destiny Moore, a 5-10 senior, averaged 12 points per game. The other returning starters are 5-10 senior Micaela Moore (10 ppg.), 5-5 senior Ishana Rodriguez (4 ppg., 4 assists per game), and 5-5 senior Mariela Rivera. Three key senior letter-winners are 5-5 Dayshior Watkins, 5-5 Stasha Johnson, and 5-8 Imani Jackson.

Audubon will be among the youngest teams in the Colonial with just one senior, 5-4 guard Melissa Villa.

Alex Gravinese, a 5-6 junior point guard, averaged 13 points in earning second-team all-conference honors.

The other two returning starters are 5-9 sophomore Tyler Frankowski (8 ppg., 8 rpg.) and 5-7 junior Devon Coyle. Letter-winners include 5-6 junior Sarah Cox and 5-9 Sam DeCecco.

Woodbury won three games and looks to make the next step with 5-8 junior Dominique Sellers (16 ppg.) leading the way. Senior guard/forward Renia Singleton is another returning starter, and 5-6 senior Brittney Smith is a key letter-winner. A pair of 6-0 freshmen, Danesha Triplett and Cassidy Swanson, will provide frontcourt depth.

   - Marc Narducci