The Gosnell Lady Pirates finished last season with a record of 7-21 . They graduated one of their better players in Mya Brittman . A total of 12 players return from last year ’ s youthful group but there are four players that return as starters . They include : three seniors in guards Nykira Real and Amanda Scissell and forward Kira Smith . Additionally , sophomore forward Natalee Murphy will return as a key player and starter . Coach Chaney Westphal has four other players that she believes will be key pieces to the Lady Pirate squad . They include : senior forward Laniyah Lincoln , junior swingman Sierra Simmons , along with junior guard Imari Johnson , and sophomore guard Jha ’ mea Hunter . “ Keys to success will be playing for each other this year in a way that makes each other ’ s jobs ' easier on offense and defense ,” stated Coach Westphal . “ If we continue to improve on our half-court offense , we have a chance to beat some people this year . We may live and die on the offensive glass this season . Second chance points will be a huge factor in our success this season .” Look for Gosnell to be improved returning so many players from a season ago and battle their way into a potential regional berth .
The Gosnell Pirates finished an up and down season with an 11-13 record a year ago . Coach Corbin Clark is hoping to use a blend of returning experience and young talent to find more consistency this season . “ Last year was up and down for us ,” Coach Corbin said . “ We picked up some wins over quality opponents in our league , but did not play with the consistency we hoped to throughout the year .” That ’ s understandable in the always tough 3A-3 conference , but the Pirates believe this year ’ s team can take the next steps toward success . Leading the way is Rylan Jenkins . Jenkins averaged 10 points a game while shooting 37 % from three last year . He was one of the team leaders in points and rebounds . Also returning shooter is Parker Wells who averaged eight points a game while shooting 33 % from long range . Wells will be asked to handle the ball a little more this season and provide leadership along with Jenkins . Multisport star Cam Williams is looking to improve on his five points and five rebounds a game . He is highly explosive on offense and a great defender . Some talented young guys will look to make an impact for Gosnell . Marcus Anderson is a freshman who is an explosive athlete . Anderson will move up to help out at the point guard spot . He has the ability to be a playmaker on offense and a good on-ball defender . Lamon Aldridge saw limited minutes early last year , but saw his role expand late in the season . The junior will have an even more expanded role this year after a tremendous offseason . This mix of experience , youth , and talent has Coach Clark excited . “ We believe we have a chance to be better offensively this year ,” he explained . “ We believe having youth in many key positions will be one of our challenges that we will need to work through . Our guys have been working hard this offseason , and we are looking forward to this season .” That work has put them in a position to compete every night . NEA Sports predicts the Gosnell Pirates will be in the mix for a regional tournament berth come February .