Wayne County girls basketball: Smithville leads deep field as new season tips off

Smithville’s girls basketball team returns a roster full of motivated players this year. The source of motivation is as real as it gets.

Smithville, 23-4 overall last season and 12-2 in the Wayne County Athletic League, advanced to the Division VI Elite 8 a year ago, losing a heartbreaker 37-36 to Rootstown in the regional final. Rootstown went on to be state runner-up. The Smithies had a one-point lead until Rootstown banked in the winning shot with 5.2 seconds left.

Taking that one extra step to the Final Four won’t be easy. Making it more difficult is the Smithies will have to find someone to replace All-Ohioans Madi Singer and Aly Wickens, who combined to average about 26 points per game.

“We lost two really good basketball players off last year’s team,” Smithville coach Eric Nickles said. “I think we have players that are ready to step in and make plays at the varsity level. We have kids that have been in our program a while and know what we expect as coaches. We’re excited about what this group can do. Our goal is to continue to get better and better, so at the end of the year, we’re playing our best basketball.”

They do have a lot in reserve, and there is a real reason to have high expectations. Senior Leah Keib was a second-team All-Northeast Ohio Inland District selection and is the leading returning scorer after netting 11 points per game.

She leads a group that includes seniors Kierston Ross (forward) and Reagan Gherian (guard), junior Faith Lengacher (guard), and sophomores Rebekah Keib (forward) and Mary Feil (guard), all returning with experience. Freshman guard Caylee Zimmerly and sophomore forward Mallory Johnson join the varsity this year.

“We are ahead of where I thought we would be offensively at this point in the season,” Nickles said. “I think we’re going to have to execute against a lot of really good teams on our schedule. This group has been working really hard, and we’re excited to get out and compete.”

The following is a look at other area teams heading into the 2025-26 season:

Wooster

The 2024-25 season was a rough one for the Generals, who had no experience and took some lumps, to say the least.

The experience the then-young Generals got, though, was invaluable, and now the hope is a team that finished 3-20 overall and just 1-11 and tied for last place in the Ohio Cardinal Conference is looking to take a step forward.

“Last season our team had only two kids with meaningful varsity minutes returning, so it was a big learning year for our team,” fifth-year Wooster coach Alex Kacere said. “This season we have experience and team camaraderie that we haven’t had in a few seasons. I am looking forward to seeing how this translates into on-court performance.”

Three players moved on from the 24-25 team, which means 10 are back. It’s a good mix between veterans and youth, with at least three players representing each of the top three grades.

Brook Ritchie was a go-to player and was named first-team All-OCC after averaging 18 points and making 72 three-pointers.

The senior guard returns with classmates Amelia Correll (guard), Carolyn Greene (forward) and Payton Garver (forward).

Guard Jay-Cee Hackett was a second-team all-league choice last season as a sophomore, when she averaged 10 points. This will be her third year as a starter. She is joined by fellow juniors Anna Melrose (forward) and Lily Tudor (guard).

Guard Kara Cannon, who received an All-OCC honorable mention a season ago as a freshman, is back with sophomore guards Zoey Phillips and Lily Tomko. All saw time as ninth-graders.

With little space on the roster for newcomers, freshman guard Kayle Reid and junior forward Emma Behler will look to get some minutes. Kacere said Reid will be an impact player from the jump.

With a roster that is home to seven guards and three inside players, it’s not surprising Kacere said size could be an issue.

“Our team is very fast and athletic,” he said. “We should be able to run the primary break effectively. We are limited in our size in the paint. This poses a problem in our conference where we may face multiple 6-foot post players on a weekly basis.”

The OCC won’t be a picnic for the Generals or anyone. Defending champion Ashland returns OCC Player of the Year Kennedy Lacey and first-team All-OCC performers Madison Hoffman and Camryn Cox, second-team all-leaguer CiCi Steury, and All-OCC honorable mention recipient Grace Tobias.

League newcomer Dover was 16-5 last season and 4-1 against OCC teams. On the other hand, runner-up New Philadelphia lost four key players, and Lexington and West Homes each saw two of its top four graduate.

“Ashland is returning their whole team basically and ran away with our conference, but I think that it is up for grabs between the other seven teams,” Kacere said. “We are poised to compete for a top spot this season.”

Waynedale

Coming off a 13-12 season that landed them in fifth place in the Wayne County Athletic League, it’s tough to blame the Bears. The conference, after all, produced a state runner-up (Norwayne) and a regional runner-up (Smithville). That’s rare air for any league.

Coach Rick Geiser’s group, just a couple of years removed from back-to-back Final Four appearances, has a very promising group back in the fold and will be heard from this season after losing just one letter-winner from a year ago.

Senior guard Kylie Geiser, a 10-point scorer, returns after being named second-team All-Inland District. Junior guard Natalie Clever also returns after earning an all-district honorable mention.

That pair is joined by senior guards Jorjia Persinger, back from an injury, and Madi Miller; senior forwards Brook Compston and Madelynn Baney; junior guards Andrey Troyer and Mya Spitler; and junior forward Bella Perry. Freshman guard Izzy Matter will look to make an impact as a rookie.

“We will be a much more experienced team having nine returning letter-winners,” coach Geiser said. “Our experiences from last season will enable us to have a lot of depth at every position.”

Geiser said the Bears will need to find some scoring, but depth at all spots allows them to show a lot of looks, so many returners should lend to good team chemistry.

Dalton

Dalton was in a similar boat as Waynedale last season, a pretty good team behind a stacked top of the conference. The Bulldogs finished 13-11 last season, 9-5 and in fourth place in the league, and were district semifinalists.

Three players moved on from that team, but six are back. The latter number includes senior forward Grace Dorffer, who was a second-team All-Inland choice last year after averaging about 12 points.

Dorffer is joined by classmates Mya Geiser (guard), Baylie Horrisberger (forward) and Phoebe Lehman (forward), along with junior guards Payton Lehman and Mei Simmons.

“Phoebe Lehman will be a key to our success,” third-year coach Chase Moyer said. “Her impact goes much further than just solid stats, but also through her leadership, basketball IQ and coachability. Payton Lehman came on strong toward the end of the season last year. She developed into a third scorer for us. We are looking forward to her continuing to grow on her success.”

Newbies include junior guard Jaedyn Yoder; sophomores Ella Tomlinson (guard), Isabella Horst (guard) and Haley Wengerd (forward); and freshman guard Cali Steiner.

“Experience and continuity have proven to be important when trying to build toward success,” Moyer said. “We have several returning players that have a couple of years of varsity experience. This should allow us to hit the ground running and focus our time on the areas we need to improve from last season.”

Moyer said his team will look to build on improvements it made a year ago, one of which includes added depth. He said his team could fight a lack of size a bit and will need to be physical to compensate.

Central Christian

Central Christian is coming off a strong season a year ago. The Comets were 15-8 overall but have a bit of rebuilding to do. They lost four letter-winners including Kerrilyn Newenschwander, who is out with an ACL injury.

They have some pretty good experience, though, including two senior guards in Maclaren Fry and Saralyn Stjernholm. Fry averaged 14.2 points a year ago and was named second-team All-Inland District.

“Maclaren Fry is the point guard and leader of the team,” Comets coach Kevin Weaver said. “She has led the team in scoring the past three seasons. She led the team in assists her freshman and sophomore year and was second her junior year. Maclaren is also one of our top perimeter shooters. She led the team in steals her freshman and junior years and is a strong defensive player.”

Sophomore forwards Bella Fortner, Brynley Fry and Annika Martin also return after picking up some good experience last season. Six freshmen — guards Paisley Ellington, Brooklyn Clark and Kayleigh Howard and forwards Savannah Weaver, Legna Dickens and Leanah Mast — will all battle for court time.

“We have the majority of the girls that had seen significant playing time back this year,” Weaver said. “So there will not be much of a difference to our team.”

Add the Comets to the list of teams suffering from a lack of size. Weaver said post play and defensive rebounding will be challenges.

Orrville

If Orrville coach Maggie Summers has had a more experienced team in her first six years than the one she has this year, it hasn’t been by much. But just wait until next year.

Summers, who lost just two letter-winners from her 2024-25 squad that finished 8-14 overall and 4-8 in the Principals Athletic Conference, has just one senior in the fold this year, that being guard Cadence Wilson.

While this is not a year for rebuilding, it is a year for more building. Summers and Co. will do that around six returning letter-winners.

“We will have more varsity experience in both the guard and post positions and are looking to play more up-tempo,” Summers said. “We also have size in the post, which we have not had in the past.”

That group starts with junior forward Jacy Mulpas, who received an All-Northeast Ohio Inland District honorable mention last season. She and Wilson are rejoined by junior guards Emma Brede and Brooklyn Butzer, junior post Kate Lacy, and sophomore post Genny Ballard.

“Jacy doesn’t realize how great she can be and was our leading scorer last year with 10 points per game,” Summers said. “She is consistent in her play, is a great leader and always works hard. She is strong in the post, can handle the ball and has a great outside shot that makes her a threat in all aspects of the game.”

Joining the Riders’ ranks are junior guard Payton Baer, junior forward Zoe Zehnder, sophomore guard Kylie Albrecht, freshman guard Zyah Handwerk and freshman guard Mazie Tarpley.

Triway

Returning a variety of talented letter-winners, the Titans will look to improve upon last year’s 10-14 overall record and fourth-place finish in the Principals Athletic Conference.

Seniors Payton Snyder (guard), Alayna Perman (guard), Zoey Basker (forward) and Sydney Frank (forward) and sophomores Brookelynn Lowe (guard) and Kenasyn Garrison (forward) are all back for sixth-year coach Mike Miller.

Snyder missed last year with an ACL injury. She was an all-league and all-district second-team selection as a sophomore.

Frank will be a four-year letter-winner, earning all-league and all-district first-team honors last season.

Perman and Baker were starters last season. Senior forward Haily Browning is also slated to start after returning to Triway from being in England for a few years.

Lowe and Garrison will be key reserves, while sophomore forward Elise Wigal will be a swing player who sees lots of varsity time.

“I think experience will be a strength this year for the Lady Titans,” Miller said.

Miller said his team lacks height, which could be a bit of a weakness.

As for where his team stacks up in the PAC, Miller said Northwest is the favorite but expects his team to be “very competitive” in the conference.