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Gael girls open at home

The St. Edmond girls begin their season here Tuesday night, hosting Perry in non-conference action.

Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the SEHS gym.

For CJ Tracy, this is the perfect opportunity to see where his Gaels (0-0 overall) are after the preseason and ahead of jumping into North Central Conference play next time out in December.

“We have tremendous leaders — especially our seniors,” Tracy said. “We’ve got some young kids that are hungry for success and we have a group that makes it fun to coach.”

Seniors Katie Flaherty and Anna Kolacia will be joined in the starting lineup by juniors Silvia Heldorfer and Kaili Henning, along with sophomore Lauren Gibb. All five saw ample playing time last year.

“We are going to mix everything up,” Tracy said. “We have a group that likes to play man-to-man, that likes to play zone. We have a group that can get up and down the court and play fast, while another can play a different style.

“There are really a lot of different options for us to work with.”

Flaherty scored 104 points with 101 rebounds, 19 steals and eight blocked shots last year. She was the leading rebounder for St. Edmond and is the leading returning scorer.

Kolacia added 62 points, 71 boards, 31 steals and 11 assists, while Heldorer had 22 points, 62 rebounds, 20 assists and 15 steals. Henning led the Gaels in made 3-pointers last year, while Gibb was moved into the rotation as a ninth-grader down the stretch.

“If we can get the inside game going, I know we have girls that can knock the outside shot down,” Tracy said. “I tell them that if you are open, shoot the ball, and that is definitely something they have taken to heart.”

Perry went 9-14 last year, earning its most victories since going 16-5 in 2016-17 and matching the win total from the three previous years combined. The Jayettes, who played Des Moines Hoover last night, return starters Maci Tunink, Lydia Olejniczak, Kathryn West and Callie Steva.

Olejniczak averaged 21 points and eight rebounds per game last year and has committed to Drake University to play softball. She was named all-conference in both sports as a junior.

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