Decatur Girls’ Hoops Gets a Makeover

Decatur Girls’ Hoops Gets a Makeover

BERLIN- After several years of relative continuity, the Stephen Decatur girls’ varsity basketball team will get a big makeover of sorts this season with a new head coach at the helm and a bunch of new names and faces up and down the roster.

Head Coach Ron Knerr replaces long-time coach Dan Mergott this year and will have the opportunity to shape his young roster and mold his new team into his own program. Gone from last year’s 11-11 team are three senior guards and captains Kelly Higgins, Amy Smith and Kate Zimmer. Also gone are standout frontcourt players Amber Collick and Katie Clark. In fact the only two players on the roster from last year’s team are Lindsey Parker and Virginia Harris.

Instead, Knerr will rely on a flock of Seahawks called up from last year’s junior varsity team to lead his fledgling program this year. Among the players on the roster this year from last year’s junior varsity team are Erin McGuire, Shai Shockley, Kristen Lubeski, Shae Nottingham, Chele Lathroum, Lauren Freeman, Kylie Nottingham, Shaniece Hudson, Devon Harman, Megan Connelly and Jenna Vignale.

Decatur opens the regular season next Thursday with a home game against Washington and will follow that with another home game next Tuesday against Mardela before hitting the road against Bennett on December 14. The Seahawks will host the annual Coleman Holiday Tournament this year on December 27-28 with a field that includes Arcadia, Nandua, Northampton and Pocomoke.