Published: November 13, 2008 11:56 pm      

Lady Cats looking to rebound

There were times last season when first-year Pitt-Johnstown women’s basketball coach Sasha Palmer had as few as eight or six players on her active roster.

The Mountain Cats baseball players sometimes had to volunteer to fill out the practice squads for the Lady Cats.

As her second season is set to begin, Palmer has more players participating at practice. And all of those are on her team, not the baseball team.

“Depth helps us a lot,” said Palmer, whose 10-18 Lady Cats went 9-11 and finished eighth in UPJ’s first full season of West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

UPJ has 12 players on the roster and one redshirt. Last season, UPJ’s first losing record in women’s basketball history, was much different.

“I started off with eight last season,” Palmer said. “We were down to six at one point in the year. We had the baseball players in there practicing. We don’t have to do that this year. It’s nice having more kids.”

The WVIAC picked UPJ to finish eighth in its preseason poll.

The Lady Cats will be led by second-team All-WVIAC selection Lindsay Cale, a senior who averaged 13.1 points, 2.9 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.9 steals a game, all worthy of NCAA Division II rankings.

“Cale brings the most experience at the guard position,” Palmer said. We expect her to be one of the top guards in the conference.”

Sophomore guard Sheena Aden was on the All-WVIAC Freshmen squad last year after scoring 10.1 points and grabbing 4.7 rebounds a game. Senior Kristin Irwin is a guard-forward who had an .850 shooting percentage and averaged 9.7 points last season.

At the point guard spot, junior Chrissy Forster is “one of the team’s most improved players and one of our top 3-point shooters,” Palmer said.

Kaitlin Urban, a Westmont Hilltop graduate, also is a guard. Chasity Ingram, a Johnstown high grad, and sophomores Qiuana Brown and Andrea Dalton are forwards.

“I really think in the post we’re a lot stronger,” Palmer said. “We have all of our returning guards. We recruited three 6-foot-1 players in the post.”

Palmer’s first full recruiting class included Conemaugh Township’s Jamie Gennett, East Stroudsburg North’s Monae Baker, Hollidaysburg’s Sarah Trimarco, Hempfield’s Analicia Evans (redshirt), and Hollidaysburg’s Taylor Griffith.

“We’re definitely farther ahead,” Palmer said. “Obviously I got to recruit all year long. The kids I have returning know what I expect and want. Our two captains have been great leaders (Cale and Irwin). I don’t have to do as much coaching this year because they’re there.”

UPJ opens the season Saturday against LeMoyne (N.Y.) and Sunday against Kutztown at the Kutztown University Tournament.

“We’re trying to come out 2-0,” Palmer said. “I think we can.”

The Lady Cats open WVIAC play on Wednesday at Seton Hill. Shippensburg visits for UPJ’s home opener on Nov. 22.