Bob Beviglia entered the season in an enviable position.
The Scranton Prep coach returns his entire starting lineup from a team that won division and district championships and ended its season in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A state championship game in Hershey.
Yet, one of the first things Beviglia sought to do was make changes to this season’s team.
The increased availability of two healthier players and the addition of two highly skilled freshmen put the Classics in a situation where they may be able to get better by being deeper.
“We played 10 kids whereas last year, a lot of the time, I was playing six,” Beviglia said of the team’s season opener. “We have some younger kids, kids who played last year who have developed and two freshmen who are in our first eight.
“I said to the five seniors — and I give them credit because it’s not an easy thing to hear — I told them that for in order for us to be better than what we were last year, they had to play less.”
Abington residents Jenna Hillebrand and Ashlynn Moore join Maya Jenkins, Claire McGrath and Bella Dennebaum as the returning starters.
Hillebrand and Jenkins are all-state players while McGrath has built a reputation as one of District 2’s best perimeter defenders and Dennebaum is widely known for her toughness playing inside where she is often going against bigger opponents.
Eva Kaszuba, who doubles in the winter as one of District 2’s top swimmers, saw the most action last season.
Maeve Haggerty was limited by injury and Ava Fenton did not play in her freshman year while recovering from knee surgery. Fenton opened the season as the first guard off the bench.
They are joined by 6-foot-1 Chloe Mamera and fellow freshman Trinity Litts, a point guard. Mamera was the first forward off the bench.
“Our rotation is thicker than last year,” Beviglia said.
Scranton Prep 75, Bethlehem Liberty 53
Dennebaum scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds Dec. 1 when Scranton Prep won its season opener.
Jenkins added 17 points and Hillebrand had 12.
