By John Raffel
The Ithaca girls basketball program has not had a winning season since 2001. But under the coaching of Bob Anderson, and with some exceptional talent, the Yellowjackets are making plenty of noise this year.
“We won five games the first year,” Anderson said. “Last year we were 10-12. This year, we started off 10-0. That’s been memorable. No matter where I’ve gone, I’ve had to turn a program around.”
The key for this team’s success, Anderson noted, has been “experience and ability. I have 10 players on the roster. Four of them have been with me all three years in Ithaca. That’s my two senior captains, Lacey Mates and Courtney Cooley. They were sophomores when I brought them up and started. I had two freshmen, Liz Bentley and Kylee Chaffin, that played in varsity games.”
Last year, Anderson put freshman Maddy Brock and sophomore Brooklyn Dolloff on varsity.
“I’ve got 10 players, four have been with me two years and two one year. Then I inherited three people off an undefeated JV team last year. Even though I had three sophomores and a freshman on varsity, the JVs went 20-0. I have three of them,” he said.
A major addition to the program was the transfer of 6’2″ freshman Kayla Belles from Breckenridge. “She’s impressive,” Anderson said. “She had a game of 23 points and 18 rebounds against Valley Lutheran and we beat them, and we were 0-18 against them. We beat them at Valley Lutheran. Against Alma, she had 18 points and 18 rebounds. She’s a special player. She’s just a freshman.
“I lose two seniors this year. Next year, we’ll have at least eight players coming back. As long as we keep developing, our future looks rosy.”
Anderson said his team has been shooting well. “Our inside game is really top-notch. The girls get along so well, it doesn’t matter who scores. Brooklyn, a point guard, has really upped her game this year where she’s been in double figures to almost 17 points any game. We have height on everyone we play. Our rebounding has been good. We’re so long. I’ve told them that sometimes, the best offense is to just shoot the ball, and if you miss, somebody’s going to grab the rebound and put it back in.
“Maybe the best part of this whole thing is they get along so well. You have a freshman coming in, and some people could get mad that she’s taking playing time away from others who have been in the program. Everyone seems to get along well. They’re great young ladies.”
Anderson doesn’t want to look too far ahead. “We’re talented, but we take it a game at a time, and that’s the way it has to be,” he said “We’re fortunate the districts are at Ithaca.”
If Ithaca gets past the district, it would probably run into Nouvel Catholic Central in the regionals.
“Hey, we could get upset in the district, so we’ll see,” Anderson said.