Huron's young team starts summer strong

PERKINS TWP. — Huron's girls basketball team is embracing the importance of June basketball. The Tigers, like teams throughout the state allowed to meet as high school groups this month, have hit the court looking to build camaraderie and synergy. As a very young squad, Huron has even more to gain from this month. The early returns are positive: The Tigers went 5-0 at the two-day Point Camp Shootout at Cedar Point Sports Center on Monday and Tuesday. They capped off the winning with a 44-8 victory over Clawson (Mich.). "We're very young, so this is so important for us," Huron coach Darius Schaeffer said. "... I just like how we competed." Huron graduated six seniors from last winter's team, which was SBC Bay Division runner-up for a second consecutive season. The Tigers have been 16-7 each of the past two seasons, the first two with Schaeffer at the helm. Only one starter returns: Addie LaCivita, a lefty forward who made her mark as a freshman in 2022-23. She was second for Huron in scoring at 8.0 points per game, along with 4.5 rebounds. LaCivita has shown early improvement in June utilizing her right hand. She broke out a nifty spin, up-fake and step through for a bucket in the Tigers' final game at CPSC on Tuesday. "I keep trying to stress to her, she's been scouted now," Schaeffer said. "Everybody knows what she did for us last year. They're gonna take away what she does well, and she's got to have a counter to it now. That's what she's working on." Annabelle Herzog (4.8 points per game) is Huron's only other established returner. Emmah Shaw was a varsity player in 2022-23, as well, but was limited as she returned from a torn ACL. "We're gonna go through growing pains, being so young," Schaeffer said. "But they played hard, which is all I can ask." Much of Huron's hoped-for production spent last winter playing in JV games. That starts with the Brown twins, Jessica and Julia. Jessica will be relied upon at point guard, with the taller Julia on the wing. Both are capable shooters. "(Jessica) is gonna be expected to handle the ball against pressure," Schaeffer said. "(Julia) is a really good shooter. It's nice having both of them." The Tigers also have a likely starter in rising freshman Jenna Cox. A lanky forward, Cox showed an ability to run the floor and hit the glass before finishing with touch during Tuesday's action at CPSC. "She's athletic," Schaeffer said. "That's the biggest thing. If you're athletic, we can teach you basketball." Talented athletes from Huron's first district championship softball team, including Herzog, Shaw, Jayci Schmidt and Alyssa Wild, should help the Tigers bring pressure defensively. "Defensively, we've got to get way better at being able to defend one-on-one," Schaeffer said. Huron will continue to play in the Norwalk summer league as June rolls on, and the Tigers will hit the University of Findlay team camp at the end of the month. This is all a chance to build toward a continuation of what the Tigers have become in the past two seasons. They hadn't finished in second place in league play in two decades before doing it twice in a row. Last winter's team had question marks after graduations before proving it could hold its own and match the 2021-22 record. Even bigger growth might be needed from Schaeffer's newest group, but they're moving in the right direction. "I try and stress to the girls how important this is for our season," Schaeffer said. "And summer is a time for them to get better individually."