Lancers hope new additions equal success

After making the trip to last year’s State B high school tournament for the first time in program history, the Liberty Lancers find themselves rebuilding from the top on down this season.

The team lost six players off of last year’s squad and also is welcoming a new head coach, as Aaron Fletcher takes over for Christy Henning, who took a job at Walla Walla Community College.

“I like their intensity,” said Fletcher, who is the son of longtime Liberty coach Rod Fletcher, and was an assistant with the boys team last season. “I think we’ll play really good defense. We have to work on fundamentals and really adjusting to the speed of the game. It’s a lot different from the junior varsity level to the varsity level and that’s one of the things we’re trying to duplicate in practice is the speed.”

One player Fletcher will lean on this season is returning guard Chelsea Crosby, who will lead a youthful Lancer team.

“She is our only senior. She has to be a leader with the younger kids, not only on the floor, but also off the floor, teaching them the ropes and knowing what is expected to be a Lancer girls’ basketball player. She does a great job of that. I’m really proud of her. It’s a kind of different role for her, with all of the seniors last year. She’s stepped up to the challenge and done a really good job.”

“I looked up to a lot of those seniors,” said Crosby. “They were great leaders. There were a couple of other girls on the team that went (to state), so that helps me to be a leader. I’ve experienced the highest level I can go to. It helps me help them to want what I’ve had. There was one main girl I looked up to, our senior post Caitlin Jeske. She was also my best friend, which makes it understandable why I looked up to her. They’ve always been there. I think three of them had played varsity since freshman year. They just had a lot of experience and knew the game.”

Last season’s state tournament experience is still fresh in her mind and she hopes to lead her team back to the Spokane Arena this March.

“The experience was indescribable,” said Crosby, who was been on the Lancer varsity since her sophomore year. “It was amazing. That Wednesday night when we got there, just walking through the doors, I can’t even describe it. It was a great experience. I think we were all overwhelmed at first because we didn’t know what to expect. None of us had ever experienced it before. No one knew where to go. No one knew what to do. We just kind of ran around like crazy.”

The senior point guard will play more at the shooting guard position this year, as the Lancers will hope to get more scoring from her.

“She sees the floor really well,” said Fletcher. “She does a good job of passing and running our breaks. She does that really well. We’re working with her to become a real scoring threat, both driving to the basket and becoming an outside shooter. She’s worked really hard on her shot. She’s improving which is great.”

Many observers expect Liberty to be in a rebuilding mode this season, but Crosby is hoping for much more than an average season in her final year in a Lancer uniform.

“We need experience, just playing games,” said Crosby. “We’re just going to have to work with what we’ve got. Like coach has said, the game is faster at a varsity level. It’s hard to show it to them in practice, unless you’re in a game. I think we have the talent, it’s just the way we use it. One of my goals is to play together and as a team. I think a lot of people have underestimated how we’re going to play and how good we’re going to be.”