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Pick up the pace! That will be the direction Sibley East girls’ basketball team will get this season from its new head coach Doug Flieth.

The Lady Wolverines began preparing for the 2008-2009 campaign Monday with preseason conditioning drills in Gaylord. Sibley East will open the season against Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop on Monday, December 1st. That game will be played in Arlington.

For the Lady Wolverines to be successful this season they will have to change the half-court style of play they have become accustomed to in the past, according to Flieth.

Sibley East will feature a quick lineup this season and hopes are a fast-paced style of play will offset the team’s lack of size.

“We need to change the tempo,” Flieth said. “Our plan is to push the basketball on offense and we will rely on points off the fast break. We will need to force turnovers and score off those turnovers.”

Flieth said his team’s strengths at this time are quickness and ballhandling. Plans are to use that quickness on both ends of the floor. Flieth expects his team will be able to apply a lot of defensive pressure this season.

Headlining the list of candidates for the Sibley East team this season are the following returning letterwinners: seniors – Ashley Martens, Renae Rose, Sammy Trebesch and Lindsay Thomes; and juniors Erin Evans, Courtney Nienaber, Kayla Trocke and Marie Rose.

Others on Sibley East’s preseason roster include:

Juniors – Ashley Thomes, Megan Mahon, Angie Johnson, Lauren Keithahn, Melinda Haupt, Brielle Giesen and Danielle Bardwell;

Sophomores – Val Kloeckl, Megan Heibel, Katie Glisczinski, Kelsey Sunvold, Tara Quast, Steph Schuneman, Leslie Morado, Ilda Gonzalez and Christian Juantos;

Ninth-graders – Lauren Highland, Lauren Farber, Abby Tourtellot, Milan Jordan, Hannah Larson, Vicki Riebe, Sonja Sprandel, Megan Bennett, Jenna White and Emily Bullert.

Sibley East’s Lady Wolverines will get their first taste of competition on Saturday in a scrimmage at Minnesota Valley Lutheran. Joining the Wolverines and MVL at the scrimmage will be Le Sueur-Henderson, St. Clair, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, Blue Earth Area, Belle Plaine, New Ulm Cathedral and Maple River.

The Wolverines will get off their Minnesota River Conference (MRC) season December 9th at Jordan. Flieth said Jordan’s Jaguars are the preseason favorite to win the conference. Jordan finished runnerup in the state last season and its two top players, Brittany Chambers and Leah Dietel, are returning.

Other top teams in the conference, according to Flieth, will be Le Sueur-Henderson and Holy Family.

Coach Flieth has replaced Al Ihrke as head coach of the Lady Wolverines. Ihrke resigned last spring after coaching for six seasons.

Assisting Flieth this season will be Chip Wolverton and Steph Schultz.

Girls’ Basketball Schedule

Dec. 1 – GFW
Dec. 4 – Sleepy Eye S.M.
Dec. 9 – at Jordan
Dec. 12 – at Le Sueur-Hend.
Dec. 16 – Norwood YA
Dec. 19 – at Belle Plaine
Dec. 29-30 – Redwood Vlly. Tourney
Jan. 8 – Holy Family
Jan. 12 – Glencoe-S.L.
Jan. 13 – Monty-Lonsdale
Jan. 16 – Le Sueur-Hend.
Jan. 22 – at Holy Family
Jan 27 – at Mayer Lutheran
Jan. 30 – at Monty-Lonsdale
Feb. 3 – at New Ulm
Feb. 5 – Jordan
Feb. 10 – Belle Plaine
Feb. 13 – at Norwood YA
Feb. 14 – Watertown-Mayer
Feb. 19 – Mayer Lutheran
Feb. 24 – at St. Peter
Feb. 26 – Maple River

BOLD = Home Game
All home games at Arlington
“B” – 6 p.m.; “A” – 7:30 p.m.