The Women’s basketball team has been looking forward to the 2024-2025 season since they lost to Clackamas in the quarterfinals last season.
After sharing the Metro League title with Beaverton and Southridge last season, there is a fire lit under this year’s team to win the Metro League outright.
“We practice hard and have bonded well as a team which I think will lead us to a lot of success this season,” junior starter Sophia Costarella said.
The Crusaders possess a talented junior class, with 7 players on the varsity team. Three of these juniors are a part of the starting lineup, alongside senior captain Audrey Bayless.
Bayless earned First Team All-Metro and was named Defensive Player of the Year last season. She has since committed to Claremont McKenna College to continue her basketball career.
“Bayless is such an inspirational and hard working person in general, which makes her a great leader for our team on the court,” junior Anna McCullagh stated. “I know that me and many others look up to her as a player and person, so I can’t wait to watch our team thrive with her leading this year.”
The Crusader’s graduated 3 seniors last season, losing only one player on the starting lineup, Kendra Hicks. Hicks won Metro Player of the Year and First Team All State. Kendra had a huge impact on the team with the large amounts of rebounds she would pull in. Hicks celebrated 1000 rebounds in her Jesuit career near the end of the Metro League season last year.
“I think losing Kendra will be a big difficulty for our team, but I believe we can bounce back. We are all going to work harder together which is super important,” Bayless said. “Losing that big of a post on the floor with all those rebounds is definitely a challenge we need to overcome, but I am confident that with our new freshmen and all of us pitching in we will be able to succeed and win lots of games.”
The team’s focus this year is defense and rebounding. Without Kendra, every player on the team is going to have to rebound to pick up the slack. Being a strong defensive team will make a huge difference in the outcome of the game, which is why it is such a main focus for Jesuit’s basketball team.
“We are working hard as a team to become better in all aspects but specifically defense, so we can get more possessions and have more opportunities on offense,” stated Lily Appleyard.
Appleyard is one of two seniors on the team, alongside captain Audrey Bayless. Together, they are great leaders for the team and the younger players.
The Crusaders have a big hole to fill with the exit of Kendra Hicks, but 3 incoming freshmen and a sophomore are hungry and ready to compete for Jesuit basketball.
Ceanna Forney, one of the incoming freshmen, played for 3 and D before coming to Jesuit. With her height of 6’4, Ceanna is ready to dominate the paint for the Crusaders.
“I think Cece is going to be a great addition to the team this year, and I am excited to see her grow on and off the court,” junior starting shooting guard Amani Lubrano stated.
Jesuit’s season opener is Saturday, December 7th against Seton Catholic. This game provides an opportunity to showcase the team’s chemistry, especially with the new additions.
“We have been working very hard at practice the past three weeks, and we are all excited to play our first game,” starting junior Reese Filkins shared. “The team is prepared to play, and we are ready to show everyone what we can do as a team.”
As the season begins, the Crusaders are hungry to compete with talented players and a supportive team. Jesuit is ready to make an impact and leave their mark on the season.