Geoff Mott
Sports Scene
SAGINAW TWP. – The Heritage girls basketball team has many familiar faces back from last year’s state quarterfinal team, including four of five starters.
And while first-year coach Vonnie DeLong is unfamiliar to the Hawks’ bench, she is quite familiar to the Saginaw Valley League.
DeLong, 47, coached Arthur Hill for 11 seasons, finishing with a 142-65 record before stepping down in 2003 to take the head coaching job at Saginaw Valley State University. She posted a 35-72 record in four seasons with the Cardinals, stepping down in 2008. The former Carrollton prep star has returned after a five-year hiatus.
She takes over for Tim Conley, who retired after 22 seasons as Heritage’s coach with a 291-205 record.
“The kids don’t change,” DeLong said after the Hawks defeated Saginaw 61-48 in both teams’ SVL North opener. “Basketball doesn’t change.”
Center Jayde Abenth is one of three seniors on the team. She’s a three-year starter and was a little surprised when Conley left the program. “I was upset at first because I had been playing for three years for him,” she said. “But change is good.
“[DeLong] is a really good coach, and she knows what she’s talking about. We’re just starting to click.”
After a season-opening loss on the road to Brighton, the Hawks responded strongly with a 54-29 win over host Grand Blanc and a road win against the Trojans. Four of Heritage’s first five games are on the road, and the Hawks are learning on the fly.
“It’s a process right now, and the girls aren’t used to everything right now,” DeLong said. “We’ve got a good base and tough schedule to start. We work on things in the games and see how we fare.
“We’ve been working in the gym since the summer, but you can’t put your offense in then. I’m hoping after the Christmas break, when we are really re-teaching the offense, that we’ll see a bigger improvement by mid-January.”
Abenth is joined in the starting lineup by versatile senior guard Taylor Thompson. Junior guards Allie Miller and Aubree Snow push the pace for the Hawks and provide outside shooting, while new starter Alli Pape at forward is one of three talented freshmen on the varsity level.
Freshman forward Courtney McInerny grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds off the bench against a tough, veteran Saginaw front court, while freshman guard Haley Brefka plays with poise. Senior Joelle Schuknecht and juniors Haley Goodell, Carlee Couglin, Jordyn Brefka, and Indigo Dudley provide depth off the bench.
“We have people back, but we are still fairly young, with the three freshmen,” DeLong said. “There’s not a whole lot of experience there, and we’ve been able to win early. We make mistakes, but they stay in there and try to correct them.
“It’s hard to improve much until you play a few games and learn from them.”
The Hawks finished 16-10 last season and surprised Midland Dow in districts before winning the regional title. The season ended in heartbreaking fashion, with a 34-33 loss to Dexter in the Class A state quarterfinal game.
“Our expectations are still really high,” Abenth said. “We’re not going to let down. We keep working. I love playing with these girls.”
DeLong said the girls are working hard on a lot of new material but are talented enough to take another step forward this year.
“The expectations are high, and the kids want to get back to where they were,” she said. “It’s not that basketball has changed, but this is a different offense. We have different out-of-bounds plays, and it takes a little time to not revert back to some of the things you did last year.
“We’ll get there.”