North Newton Spartans
Last year: 5-15, 2-5 Greater South Shore Conference, lost in Class 2A North Judson Sectional to Winamac
Inside the Spartans
Leading returning scorer: Morgan Lang, 11.6 ppg
Leading returning rebounder: Allyson Leach, 7.6 rpg
Star power: Lang, Sr., G: In addition to being the Spartans' best player, Lang is also the team leader. She is a student of the game and a solid shooter.
Newcomer to watch: Kylie Duhamell, So., F: Duhamel is very athletic and has worked her way into the starting lineup. She should be a contributor in the front court.
Spartans ready to turn fortunes around
The Spartans struggled in the early going but got more competitive as the season progressed. North Newton attended the D-One camp during the summer which paid huge dividends in bringing the team together on and off the court. “You play 14 games in three days, so you play a season before your real basketball season,” said Lang. “We learned how to play a man-defense there, and we did all of the stuff we would’ve had to do now, then. So we really gotten a jumpstart to this season.” Lang is one of three starters returning along with Alisha Watts and Allyson Leach, who led the team in rebounding a year ago. It’s a solid nucleus the Spartans can build around. “We just really grew up,” coach Bob Gonczy said about the camp experience. “We figured out some things. I don’t know how good we’re going to be, but we’re just much improved over last year.” Gonczy is looking for his charges to register some wins in games they were in late a year ago.!~ Christopher Breach
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