KELLY GIRLS RETURN SCORING PUNCH

The Kelly girls basketball team had only one all-conference player on last year's 17-7 team.

But the Lady Hawks will have two all-conference players on the court this season with the return of senior Ashley Dirnberger (5-6) from a knee injury that forced her to miss her entire junior season.

Dirnberger, who led Kelly in scoring her sophomore year, will team up with last year's leading scorer Jennifer McNiell (5-7) to provide a high-scoring duo. McNiell averaged 17 points per game.

"We lost one starter from last year (to graduation), but we've got Ashley coming back that missed all year with a knee injury," said Kelly coach Clay Vangilder. "Ashley's not quite where she was (as a sophomore), but she's getting there. She's gaining confidence in herself every day."

As a team, the Lady Hawks should have plenty of confidence as they shoot for their first district title since 1994. Three other returning starters -- seniors Pam Essner (5-5) and Tiffany Glastetter (5-7) and junior Heather Scott (5-10) -- are back and senior Amy Arteme (5-6) will also be counted on for leadership along with her four other classmates.

"Hopefully our seniors will lead us," Vangilder said. "They've had success (in other sports) and hopefully that will carry over."

With state titles in softball and cross country recently, the Kelly girls have certainly had their share of success. And with the depth the basketball team has, the hoop season could also prove memorable.

"We'll probably play nine kids each night," said Vangilder. "With our balance and depth, I could flip a coin every night to choose the starting lineup and wouldn't miss much with whoever I had out there."

Junior Cheryl Barnett (5-8), sophomore Audrey Burford (5-8) and freshman Marissa Essner (5-7) will provide plenty of depth.

"We'll play a bunch of people," Vangilder said. "The girls are very unselfish and the way we play there's not going to be a person that really stands out. We try to keep things balanced."

With so much talent and experience returning, Vangilder was certainly looking forward to the start of the season Monday at Delta.

"We're looking for a good season," Vangilder said. "We basically have everyone back and hope to build on last year."