NEW MADISON – Last season, the Patriots shared the WOAC league title. They would play up at DV in the postseason but bowed out early in a tough overtime loss to a good Brookville team. The Patriots lacked size last year but made up for it by being quick, fast and scrappy. They will have the same look this year, but Sydnee DeLong returns after missing least year with an injury and she will join fellow seniors Addalyn Hines, Tai Mize and Alexa Light giving them lot of experience and talent to lead the Patriots in 2025-26.
Returning Lettermen
Adalynn Hines* SR, 5-5, Guard – 1st Team All-Conference last year. Adalynn is a dynamic scorer who has an extremely quick first step. She was our leading scorer last season.
Tai Mize * SR, 5-4, Point Guard -1st Team All-Conference last year. Tai is the definition of a true PG. She knows how to make those around her look good but putting them in positions to have success. Tai will continue her playing career at D2 Fairmont State.
Kenna Wilcox * JR, 5-7, Forward – 2nd Team All-Conference last year. Kenna is another kid who just has a knack for scoring the basketball. She can play both inside and outside. We will look to use her more with her back to the basket this year than we have the past couple of seasons.
Sydnee DeLong * SR, 5-8, Guard – missed last season due to ACL injury; was a 2-year starter prior to last season including and was 2nd Team All-Conference as a sophomore and Special Mention All-Conference as a freshman. Sydnee will be looked upon to be a lock down defender for us, and we will also try to use her to create mismatches offensively due to her ability to play multiple positions.
Mylee Bierly * JR, 5-6, Forward – Special Mention All-Conference last year. Mylee returns as leading rebounder from last year. We look for her to continue to be a strong rebounder for us and to continue to knock down open 3-point shots for us like she did last year.
Alexa Light * SR, 5-6, Forward – started for us last year as a junior but will likely come off the bench this year as a senior. Alexa has a very nice shooting touch from 15-20 feet.
Kaley Brandon * JR, 5-5, Guard – was typically 1st kid off the bench last year as sophomore. KB has a very high basketball IQ and understands how to play to her strengths. A very capable perimeter shooter who can also be used to help handle PG duties and very good off ball defender.
McKenzie Besecker * JR, 5-7, Post – was oftentimes our 1st post player off the bench last year. She is a really solid defender and rebounder.
Key Contributors/Newcomers
Taytum Gray – FR, 5-3, Guard – Taytum will bring a scorer’s mentality and a competitive drive to our team. She has the ability to knock down perimeter shots but will also look to attack the rim and get to the free throw line. We expect Taytum to be a significant contributor at the varsity level
Raegan Hunt – FR, 5-8, Forward – Raegan plays bigger than her listed height. She has a knack for winning lose balls and is an excellent defender with long arms. We believe she will keep getting better as the season goes.
Emma Greer – JR, 5-5, Guard – Emma is playing basketball again for the first time since her 8th grade year. She is a very competitive athlete who was the state player of the year in softball this past season where she led us to a state softball title. We are hoping that she can bring some of that leadership to the hardwood.
Strengths/Keys To Success
I would say our biggest strength is our overall basketball experience and then also our strong guard play. We will be looking to play the game at a very fast pace and will look to create a lot of open 3 point looks for our team as well as drives to the basket. Our kids have developed a pretty good chemistry with each other so that should help us to share the basketball in order to get the right kind of shots for our team. We will also look to bring a lot of pressure defensively both in the full court and half court. We will have to be able to rebound the ball effectively as a team due to our lack of size. We can’t rely on one or two people to do all the rebounding for us.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Mississinawa Valley – they return some key players from the team that has had great runs in back-to-back years. Obviously they have to find a way to replace all the things that Taylee Woodbury did for them but with the experience that they have returning, they should have another great year. Coach Comer comes over from Indiana where he won a boat load of games and has a ton of big game experience.
Arcanum – another teams that returns a lot of key players from last year’s team that had a deep tournament run. Much like MV, they have to find a way to replace all of the things that Alexis Gibbons did for them but with the other players having so much experience along with a great coach in Abbey Moore, I’m sure that they will be primed for another great season
Ansonia – Ansonia is going to be a handful for every team in our league. This is another team that returns most of their lineup from last year, but unlike MV and Arcanum, they return the large bulk of their scoring. London Reichert is a superb athlete with size and both Barga girls are excellent basketball players. It would not surprise me to see them in the top 2 at season’s end.
