Their chance to shine

Out of 15 players on the bench this season for the Saratoga Lady Panthers, Head Coach Heather Bartlett has only two returning starters, the other three having graduated last school year. That’s not to say, however, there’s any lack of experience.

“Our junior class is pretty heavy with players,” said Bartlett. “So we have quite a few junior players that are coming back and giving us some good experience this year.”

That returning experience is giving Bartlett some hope for this upcoming season, but so is the new talent.

“We think we’re going to have a really good season, we’ve got a lot of talent on this team. We’re a little bit raw this year but we have some good returning leaders with Rhiwan (Williams) coming back, she was all-conference last year. Anna Peterson is our senior, she started last year, too. We have some good return players that should lead us but then some other players who are just emerging.”

According to Bartlett, not only should this be a good year because of the new and returning talent, but also because of the overall attitude of the team.

“It’s a way different feel to the team this year and they’re a great group of girls,” said Bartlett. “They’re just really positive, really excited for the season (and) really excited for their chance to shine this year.”

A little height also helps as, according to Bartlett, this is the tallest team she’s fielded.