Hildebrand encouraged by hard work Lady Colonials have put in
Ellen Hildebrand enters her third year as head coach of the Albert Gallatin girls basketball team encouraged by the amount of hard work her team has put in during the offseason.
Whether that hard work can translate to wins on the court remains to be seen, but Hildebrand hopes that her nine seniors and two returning sophomores can help turn the corner for a team that was 2-10 in section play last season and 3-18 overall.
“We struggled my first two years but I have been around the block a long time and am encouraged by the hard work the kids have put in,” Hildebrand said. “The seniors have been the heart and soul of the team and our goal is to make the playoffs.”
Hildebrand, who has previous coaching experience at Jefferson-Morgan, Waynesburg Central and Waynesburg University, is encouraged with realignment and where her team was placed. The Lady Colonials will be in Class 5-A, Section 3, with Connellsville, Greensburg Salem, Laurel Highlands, Ringgold, Trinity and Uniontown.
“We really like the realignment,” Hildebrand said. “We were playing freshmen and sophomore against bigger and more experienced team last year in Quad A. Now, our freshmen and sophomores are juniors and seniors.”
Senior captain Monica Saunders returns for Hildebrand at center. The three-year starter was All-County and Honorable Mention All-Section last season. Fellow three-year senior starter Emily Moccaldi returns at guard. Moccaldi was an All-County performer in the 2015-16 season.
Senior captain Kaitlyn Yanowsky is a proven leader and is counted to be a force on the boards, while fellow senior captain Rebecca Jurosco is a good shooting forward.
Senior Alexa Thompson is a swing guard that is known for her high basketball IQ and solid shooting.
“This will be a good testing year for us,” Hildebrand said. “We feel like there are a number of kids that can get on the floor. We would like to think we can compete. We also have six juniors on our team.”
Two pleasant surprises for Hildebrand last season were Anaejah Harris and Kylee Myers, who started as freshmen. Harris was Albert Gallatin’s leading scorer and rebounded, while Myers ran the point.
“Anaejah will have a lot of people keying on her this season,” Hildebrand said. “She has worked so hard and it will be fun to see what she can do.
“It was a little overwhelming for our young girls to come in and play against big Quad A school last season, but I think the new classification and having a year of experience will help them.”
Rebecca Capozza will work with the post players and Jeanette Phillips, who played for Hildebrand while she was at Waynesburg Central and Waynesburg University, is on staff.
Bill Lubich is the Lady Colonials’ strength and conditioning coach.
“Bill has done a tremendous job for us,” Hildebrand said. “You have to work to win, and not just on dribbling and shooting.”
Albert Gallatin opens its schedule on Dec. 13 with a non-section home game against Geibel Catholic and travels to Waynesburg Central the next day. The Lady Colonials are on the road with local rival Uniontown to open the section schedule on Dec. 19. The first three contests are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.