After making runs at sectional titles each of the past four years, the three girls who helped make those teams contenders -- Tiara Filbert, Sam Cecere and Maddie McCulley -- are all seniors, and if they are going to turn 2015-16 into a championship season, Head Coach Marty Hein knows they can't turn it alone.
That's where sisters Taylor Stefaniak, a sophomore, and Ryann Stefanik, a freshman, come in. They're young for starters, but Taylor brings confidence and maturity gleaned from half-season as a starter last year, and Ryann is simply fearless.
"The seniors have those girls' backs," Hein said. "We know that if we want to make a deep run this year that those two sisters are a big key to it."
The Lady Devils are 2-1 on the young season after a 56-36 win over Brighton at home Tuesday night. McCulley led the way with 17 points, including sinking a trio of threes, Cecere had 15 and Filbert scored 14. Ryann Stefaniak added eight.
Any championship trail probably runs through Mendon, and it was in Mendon that Batavia suffered its lone defeat last year 50-63. There, Hein said, the team showed it still has some work to do coming together as a unit.
Ryann's youth showed a bit, he said, but that's no different than what it was for Taylor early last year and McCulley when she was a freshman.
"It's a building process, so hopefully we'll get in the right spot by the end of the year," Hein said.
Ryann won a starting job coming out of preseason because that fearlessness is what enables her to compete at this level.
"That's why she's here," Hein said. "She's a ninth-grader. She can handle the ball. She can shoot the ball. She's not afraid to go up, so this was a huge game for her to bounce back from the Mendon game."
Still, what makes this team is that very special trio of seniors, whom Hein has coached since they were young girls. Even at this point of the year, Hein admits to getting a little misty-eyed realizing this is the last run he'll have with Filbert, Cecere and McCulley.
"I've had them for so many games through summer, spring, the regular season, the whole cohesiveness between them and the rest of the girls, they're the glue," Hein said. "They hold it all together."
Filbert plays at a whole other level, with skill and basketball IQ to create scoring opportunities and disrupt the offensive flow of opponents, and as Hein noted, "she's a highlight reel at any given point."
Filbert, Cecere, McCulley and the two Stefanik sisters -- five girls in Batavia who are likely to make the 2015-16 pretty entertaining.
The next play at home at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
In photos: Ryan, #3; Filbert, #22; Taylor #23; Cecere, #30; McCulley, #42.
To purchase prints of photos, click here.
