Jazmin Bulger
Ahlia Simms
FREMONT – A season ago, the Ross girls basketball team compiled its best overall record since the formation of the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. The Lady Giants did so with a roster that may have been short on overall skill but long on grit and determination.
As the 2017-18 season nears tip-off, Ross believes its skill base has improved dramatically. If the Lady Giants can continue to play their hard-working brand of basketball, combined with their newfound offensive dimension, coach Juan Vela believes his program could be taking another step forward.
“It would be a very fun team to watch,” Vela said. “And anything could happen, as far as competing on any night. I think they can compete with a lot of teams out there.”
Ross begins its season Friday when it hosts Clyde at 7:30. The Lady Giants went 11-11 a year ago, with a 4-10 mark in the TRAC. It was a team that Vela grew fond of due to its willingness to battle and put the group ahead of the individual.
Marissa Overmyer
Braelyn Horn
“Last year going into to season I couldn’t tell you what we were going to do but the kids found a way to get it done,” Vela said. “They were a blue-collar kind of team. There were nights it was ugly but they got it done and I don’t know how they got it done. There were nights where we lost the game and we lost by one possession and I can’t believe we down by one possession. We had three or four games like that.”
Ross returns its two leading scorers from a year ago in senior point guard Jazmin Bulger (12 points and 6 rebounds per game) and senior forward Ahlia Simms (11 points, 7 rebounds).
Bulger was the Ross’ top offensive threat with the ability to both shoot and drive the lane while Simms, despite standing just 5-foot-8, held her own inside against larger opponents.
Also back for Ross is junior forward Marissa Overmyer who added eight points and five rebounds as a sophomore a year ago while senior guard Braelyn Horn gave Ross a defensive aggressiveness that set the tone for the rest of the squad.
“She went in there, played hard and made things happen defensively,” Vela said. “She will be playing the same role this year. She is a kid that gives it her all when she is out there.”
Brooklyn Baptista
Olivia Baptista
A large part of Vela’s optimism about the upcoming season is the arrival of sister guards Olivia and Brook Baptista. Olivia, a junior, possesses a skill set that, along with Bulger’s gives Vela a second option at point guard, a luxury he said he’s “never had that before.”
Brook Baptista, a freshman, adds more offensive skill and an even keel that is rare in a player so young.
“There is not much you can do to shake her, whether she is playing good or playing bad, she’ll give you the same emotion,” Vela said. “Her game is pretty consistent, and that is the biggest thing I’ve seen from her and why we decided playing varsity would be best for her. She has the skill but, emotionally, I think she’ll be able to handle it.”
Vela believed the Lady Giants are a team ready to take the next leap in the scoresheet.
“The strengths are a lot of the girls are able to score and I think anybody can really shoot the ball, anybody can really drive it,” he said. “I think we have the potential to put some points on the board and run in transition. I think offensively, it’s going to get these girls going and they love to score.”
The thing that remains to be seen, however, will be how they react when they find themselves in adverse situations. The team of a year ago, would battle to the end, win or lose. Vela is waiting to see what this year’s team is going to show him.
“Every team is going to face some kind of adversity during the season, I don’t care how good you are,” he said. “The big question is how do they react to adversity. If we’re down five with four minutes left, and with two minutes left, what’s your reaction? That’s the part we won’t know until game-time situations.”