This year’s women’s basketball season didn’t go as expected for Coach Tom Ptak.

“Eleven people signed up to play, but three girls quit within a week,” Ptak said.

With the season plagued by injuries to key players such as Putnam County graduate Daniela Pavlovich, it led to a 4-23 overall record and a 1-9 conference record. Pavlovich, who was at that time the starting point guard and leading scorer, tore her ACL three games into the season.

Team chemistry and heart was the bright point and most consistent element of this year’s basketball squad.

“The girls really battled this year and kept coming back despite the undesirable year,” Ptak stated. “The year didn’t turn out how they wanted, but after getting beat up they still came to practice and worked extremely hard every day.”

A highlight of the year was a victory against Carl Sandburg. After losing the first contest against the Lady Chargers by 26 points, the Lady Eagles won their next contest against them, showing Ptak that his team still had life and was still willing to compete.

The Lady Eagles will lose three players in Mia Porter, Kaylee Kingen, and Karly Near.

Freshman players are Daniela Pavlovich, Raley Mauck, Vanessa Voss, Becca Hermann, and Lexi Collins. Ptak looks to recruit harder and bring in more talent to improve next year.

He noted that the team lacked a true ball handler and scorer.

“Sophomore Karly Near stepped up to play the point guard when Pavlovich went down from injury, even though she was not a true point guard,” Ptak said. “The group effort was present every game as the scoring was, for the most part, evenly distributed.”
The season ended with a regional loss, 73-42, to Waubonsee.