The Fayette Lady Falcons return to the court for the second year under head coach Rachel England, minus their two leading scorers from last year, but with a scrappy cadre of juniors and two seniors ready to make their mark in Fayette’s second year in the demanding Central State 8 Conference.

Fayette fell just four points shy of making its second consecutive district championship appearance last season, failing to defend the title after advancing to state with a 21-win season the year prior. The Falcons posted 13 wins against 15 losses last season and look to finish above .500 for just the second time since 2012.

Coach England said last year’s record was disappointing, but points to the opening-round district win over longtime rival Salisbury in overtime as a season highlight.

The Falcons must force a new identity this season after bidding farewell to seniors Oakleigh Hill and Kebrea Fair. Hill averaged a team-best 14.7 points per game last season and finished with more than 1,000 career points. Fair added 12.9 points and 9.6 boards with more than 550 career rebounds and 12 double-doubles last season. Those two combined for more than half of Fayette’s nearly 50-point per game average a year ago.

“Our seniors did a great job last year leading a team that was ultimately not as deep as what they were the year before,” England said. “This year, we look to have a similar record. We just want to work hard and be the hardest-playing team on the floor. If we’re less than .500, I’ll be OK with it because I know we’re going to work hard no matter what.”

Fayette will need sophomores Eastin Hill and Rylan Roberts, and juniors Paige and Kennady Vroman and Greycen Syferd, to bolster the defensive intensity of senior Browyn Eubanks and the inside presence of Leah Thies to be competitive on the hardwood this season.

Thies returns to the team after sitting out her junior season, and Eubanks left before the end of last season.

“Defensively, Browyn is top-notch at what she does. And Leah has a good shot,” England said. “I was surprised when she came out, and I could see what she could do. She can handle the ball a little bit, but she will probably play inside. She’s tough and she knows how to work hard.”

While the starting five had not been finalized as of this writing, Eastin Hill appeared to be a favorite to return as the team’s point guard after starting every game last season. “She had a fantastic freshman campaign,” England said. “Right now, she’s showing maturity and experience way beyond her years as a sophomore. She’s definitely taken on a leadership role. She’s definitely put a lot more in her toolbox, and her shot is getting better every day.”

Paige Vroman will likely start as the two-guard. England calls her a workhorse whom younger players can look up to. Short and speedy, she recorded about a half-dozen 20-plus point games a year ago, mostly scoring in transition. “When we run in transition, she’s already down the floor. We can kick it up to her, and she’s got a layup,” England said. “And she’s a good defender for us as well. She’s low to the ground, and she can get a lot of touches that way. But she’s just such a hard worker.

“She knows how to attack the paint. She knows how to put up a three. She’s not afraid of anyone for her size, which is really good.”

Another underclassman expected to step back into a starting role that began mid-season a year ago is sophomore Rylan Roberts, whose speed and athleticism are undisputed. As a freshman, she earned multiple state medals in track and set a Class 2 state record in the long jump.

“This is going to be her third year playing basketball, and you could never tell if you looked at her,” England said. “She’s put in a lot of work over the off-season. Three or four times a week, she was in the gym by herself just working to get better, which is what you like to see. She’s just such a freak of an athlete. Coming off a state record, I feel that just fuels her fire more to be the best at whatever she’s doing.”

Roberts’s ability to outjump her opponents will earn her starts at the forward position. Coach England says she moves well and can defend at the post level. “She’s pretty hard-nosed. So even when posts are bigger than her, she’s still strong enough to hold her own. She’s got the longest wingspan on the team, and she can jump out of the gym.”

Off the bench, freshman Tessa Gose is expected to contribute at a guard position. “She’s got a great outside shot and she knows how to attack,” England said. “And defensively, she’s another one of our guards who are really long and really quick, so she’s going to be helpful in transition.”

Another highly anticipated freshman is Julia Young, who England says possesses great ball-handling skills and will come off the bench as a backup point guard. “She’s a lot like Paige, and she’s got great footwork. “She has a great shot, and she can drive and look to attack. If she goes to the rim, she’s going to go up strong.”

On the inside, freshman Bergen Gregory will bring size and presents to the paint. England said she reminds her somewhat of Kebrea Fair. “She can put the ball on the floor and just get to the rim. She can do everything defensively in the post. She has really good footwork, really good post moves, and can finish at the rim.”

Other players in the varsity mix will include junior Greycen Syferd, Kennady Vroman, and Emma Hilgedick.

“Greycen is very strong. She doesn’t like to put the ball on the floor too much, but if she’s camping out on the three-point line, she could knock it down. The same thing with Kennady. If she’s wide open, she can knock down a good shot. And I would say Emma is really good defensively because she’s one of those long, lanky guards as well. She can get a touch on the ball anywhere on the floor.”

The Falcons have 19 players on the roster this year, which England says can make for chaotic practices, but having depth will be a key asset this season. That includes eight freshmen who she says are ready to rise up and contribute.

“They’ve got really good experience coming up from the junior high level, and they know the terminology really well,” she said.

She gave high marks to the entire freshman class, who she says made it to every preseason workout.

“I think we’ll be a lot deeper this year compared to years past, which is nice,” England said.

Fayette will need that depth considering its up-tempo playing style that relies on transition scoring. England explained that her team’s defense will create its offense.

“We’re really guard heavy, so we look to push the ball out and get up and go down the floor,” she said. “Defensively, we want it to be suffocating for our opponents. We want to get a lot of touches, a lot of deflections, a lot of steals. And we just want to play with a lot of energy, because energy enhances the human performance. So, if we’re playing up, everything is going to go up from there.”

Fayette also returns to the CS8 conference, which boasts perennial powerhouse Tipton and longtime rival Harrisburg. The Falcons played eight games against state-ranked opponents last season, and England says this year things are going to be more in her team’s favor.

“I feel like everything’s up for grabs. But we’re going to have to compete if we want to win.”

The Falcons opened the season on the road at Class 4 Marshall on Tuesday after the Advertiser had gone to press. Now it’s on to the 95th Annual Glasgow Tournament starting Monday. Fayette was seeded seventh and will take on second-seeded Harrisburg at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

England said she was looking forward to that first game against Marshall since the Falcons don’t usually have a game before entering the Glasgow Tournament. “I’m excited to see how we handle things right out of practice and be able to gauge what we need to fix before going into the Glasgow Tournament.”

Another game Coach England is looking toward is on Feb. 3 at Russellville. Fayette lost that game at home a year ago by just two points. This year, the game will be played at Russellville to kick off the final conference stretch before the district tournament.

Most of Fayette’s games are on the road this year, either at opponents’ gyms or in neutral sites. The Falcons only have seven games scheduled at home.

“That could create some tired players,” England said. “Hopefully, we’re able to stay healthy. Being on the road can lead to injuries and sickness.”

And if being on the road most of the season wasn’t enough, the Falcons face a brutal stretch in the final two weeks of the season, including back-to-back away games against Brookfield and Tipton.

“It’ll be a good test for us,” England said about the schedule. “We’re young. Whatever we do this year is only going to prepare us for the following years.”

Fayette’s grueling schedule will be bolstered by three regular-season tournaments at Glasgow, New Franklin, and Harrisburg. The team lost two games in each of those tournaments last year, and Fayette looks to stay on the right side of the brackets this year.

Following the tournament in Glasgow, Fayette plays two home games in a row against New Franklin on Dec. 9 and longtime rival Westran on Dec. 6 to close out the fall semester. The Falcons open the New Year on Jan. 2 with a road trip to Class 3 Macon before entering the New Franklin Tournament on Jan. 5.

Courtwarming is scheduled for Jan. 23 against CS8 opponent Linn. Fayette then jumps into the Harrisburg Tournament on Jan. 26 before playing their final stretch of nine games in 17 days to close out the regular season. The final home game of the year is scheduled for Feb. 17 against South Callaway. Fayette will close the regular season on the road at Jamestown on Feb. 19.