Vermilion builds around Bartlome

VERMILION — Height matters in basketball. Vermilion's girls team doesn't have much of it. Six of the Sailors' 10 varsity players stand 5-foot-4 or shorter, and the team is short on depth, too. Vermilion does have some quality players for third-year head coach Doug Milhalic to build around. "We're not very tall so our ability to box out and get going will help," Mihalic said. "We have to play a little bit faster and not throw the ball all over the place." The Sailors finished 7-16 overall last season and went 3-7 in a very competitive SBC Bay Division. Among the players they must replace are Abi Rhoades and Camrin Lowder. Rhoades was the Sailors' third-leading scorer at 4.8 points per game and Lowder led the team in steals with 4.3 per game. Four starters return this season, including 5-8 senior Claire Bartlome. Bartlome led the team in scoring (11.5 points per game) and rebounding (6.1). "She's our do-it-all player," Mihalic said. "She'll play the wing, but we'll try to get her down low for some easy buckets. If she's going good, our team will follow. "She can rebound. Her last game against Huron she went like 20 and 16. I need her to rebound more this year. She led the area in blocked shots. She's a college-type player." Bartlome, the team's tallest player, was a point guard her sophomore season. "That helped her handle the ball. A lot of the offense will drive through her," Mihalic said. "If she can hit outside, her inside game will be even better because she can blow by people. "She's at any time one of the most athletic players on the court. In volleyball she was all-district and hopefully we can get her all-district in basketball. She's an overall good athlete." Junior guard Joscelyn Alvarado returns after averaging 8.7 points per game. She added a team-high 3.7 assists per game. "We struggled a lot with turnovers last year so we need her to control the ball better," Mihalic said. "If she does that and hits some shots, it'll be a big bonus for us." Junior foward Abby Gawry also will start after averaging 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds as a sophomore. "At one point she was top five in every category in our conference," Mihalic said. "If she's willing to play defense she's a heckuva player. She's strong; she can play inside and outside." Jeighla Peak, a 5-5 senior, will start. She averaged 2.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season. A newcomer to the starting lineup is freshman Morgan Frenk, who was a standout soccer player this fall. "She'll play mainly for her defense," Mihalic said. "She has long arms, long legs, she's everywhere. She knows how to read eyes and passing lanes." Grace Neely, Autumn Rupel and freshman Jazlyn Rayl also could be in the rotation. "If we stay out of foul trouble it'll really help us," Mihalic said. Mihalic, who spent nine years on the Vermilion boys coaching staff and was a girls assistant for three years before being promoted to the top spot, likes to run a 4-out offense with dribblers penetrating and finding open shooters. Vermilion shot the fewest free throws in the Bay last season but was second in steals. "Unfortunately we didn't always convert on them," Mihalic said. "Defensively we have to turn the ball over, we have to rebound and not give teams second-chance points." Roster No.&emsp;Player&emsp;Pos.&emsp;Ht.&emsp;Yr. 2&emsp;Sofia Schaffer&emsp;G&emsp;5-3&emsp;10 4&emsp;Jeighla Peak&emsp;G&emsp;5-5&emsp;12 5&emsp;Autumn Rupel&emsp;G&emsp;5-3&emsp;12 11&emsp;Jazlyn Rayl&emsp;G&emsp;5-4&emsp;9 12&emsp;Grace Neely&emsp;G&emsp;5-4&emsp;12 22&emsp;Abby Gawry&emsp;F&emsp;5-4&emsp;11 23&emsp;Joscelyn Alvarado&emsp;G&emsp;5-4&emsp;11 24&emsp;Morgan Frenk&emsp;F&emsp;5-7&emsp;9 32&emsp;Claire Bartlome&emsp;F&emsp;5-8&emsp;12 33&emsp;Cassie Caffarel&emsp;F&emsp;5-7&emsp;9