After the less than ideal year the LM Girls’ Basketball team had last year, will this year be better? Will this year finally bring about a Central League championship for the Aces? A district championship? After last season, the Aces have been working hard in the offseason by playing other sports and going to basketball camps. By persevering through many injuries during their high school careers, the team’s veterans, Gianna Santilli ’24, Lindsay Gillston ’24, Alex Dore ’24, and Kylee Gust ’24, are all experienced with head coach Erin Laney and with the expectations this team brings. Possibly the team’s most promising player, Alexa Braslow ’26, has had her fair share of varsity playing time and not just for basketball but for soccer, too. Another player to watch, Megan Walters ’25, has also been training hard for this season. She has improved a great deal from her first time suiting up in an LM jersey and is guaranteed to be someone you should look out for this year with her sharp footwork. This year’s varsity team will also consist of point guards Arryannah Glover ’27 and Harper Gust ’27 swinging from JV. Both players have been working with Laney for a long time, so they know how to put the team together and use their crafty ball handling and passing to score as many points as possible.
The team is headed by an impressive coaching staff, featuring new coach Brian Placek. Placek previously coached at Harriton as an assistant coach but will be joining Laney this year. He is also one of the coaches for Philly Roots, an AAU girls’ basketball association, along with Laney and former Harriton head coach Chris Weilgus. He has a surplus of experience and is sure to be a great addition to the group. Of course, there is also the head coach; Laney played division III basketball at Muhlenberg College and has been with the Aces as head coach for the past two years. When asked how she thinks this season will go, Laney responded, “This season is looking promising when compared to previous years. There is more basketball talent, more athleticism, and a uniting spirit that has been absent. We are young, but there is raw talent in our program that will be refined as the season progresses. I am excited to see how our senior class builds their legacy for future teams, and what the underclassmen do to rise to the challenge of playing varsity.”
This year’s JV girls’ team is also looking promising, including three full time and two swing freshmen—this team is quite young. However, at their scrimmage against Bensalem, the entire team looked intelligent, quick, and experienced while they played their hardest. This team also consists of a handful of sophomores and is coached by Coach Lamika “Meek” Sample, who is hard working and has had a successful tenure.
Even though the program has experienced many unfortunate injuries which have caused many difficult setbacks, as soon as these Aces can get back into their comfort zone and start to show their full potential as players, this team is sure to be in the mix for the Central League Championship.
