The Brentwood girls basketball team is looking to build on last year’s WPIAL playoff season.
Brentwood finished third in Section 2-2A with a 6-4 record a year ago behind co-champions Fort Cherry (9-1) and Burgettstown (9-1).
“I’m very excited for this season,” coach Rachel Thomas said. “We have a solid core of veteran players which this coaching staff believes can lead us to a possible section title and a strong run in the playoffs.”
The Spartans have five players on the current squad that saw starting time last season: seniors Ay’Maree Henry, Paige Boehm and Jessie Yee, sophomore Delaney Rosing and junior Tafsira Gambarie.
Henry plays at a forward position, Boehm is a guard/forward while Yee returns at guard. Rosing and Gambarie join Yee in the Brentwood backcourt.
Freshman forward Emily Schubert will see significant playing time, along with junior guard Emma Thompson.
“We’ve already faced some challenges,” Thomas said, “and are hopeful with a healthy roster we will have a very successful season.”
The Spartans lost to eventual WPIAL runner-up Serra Catholic, 59-23, in the first round of last year’s playoffs to end up 9-13 overall.
After a rough 1-5 start in 2023-24, Brentwood rebounded with three consecutive wins and four in its next five games to improve to 5-6 at that time.
The Brentwood hoopsters ended the month of December by winning the 2023 Carmichaels King Coal Lions Tournament.
Brentwood rolled past Jefferson-Morgan, 45-6, in the first round then edged host Carmichaels, 27-26, in the championship round.
The Spartans are members of Section 2-2A again this year along with Burgettstown, Carlynton, Fort Cherry, Northgate and South Side.
South Side, which competed in Section 1-2A last year, has replaced Sto-Rox, which moved up a classification to Section 1-3A.