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BOURBON - When the Triton High School girls basketball team reaches the postseason, the Trojans, at the very least, will be battle tested.
A tough non-conference schedule on top of an always-tough Northern State Conference schedule will have the Trojans primed for sectional play.
The key for Triton will be how a fairly young nucleus of players will grow into their respective roles.
Senior leadership will come from Emily Sauer and Brittany Mason.
Sauer averaged 6.7 points per game last year and returns as Triton's second leading scorer. Sauer also averaged three rebounds per game.
The Trojans lost Lindsay Stutzman and Kristen Dean to graduation.
Stutzman led the Trojans in scoring at a 12.1 points per game clip.
Triton averaged just 42.9 points per game as a team so the loss of Stutzman's scoring may leave the Trojans scrambling for points.
Triton will try to increase its scoring as well as its shooting percentages.
The Trojans shot just 30.7 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Triton also struggled from the charity stripe, connecting on just 52.2 percent of its attempted free throws.
While the Trojans had issues with offense, defense was not a problem for Triton.
Coach Paul Walker's squad allowed opponents 42 points per game while shooting 31 percent from the field.
Triton forced 16.2 turnovers per game, more than three per game less than the Trojans made.
Walker said that just three starting spots are set with Sauer, junior Megan Dean and sophomore Paige Davis slated to get the starting nod in the season opener against North Judson Friday at home with an 8 p.m. start time.
Dean was a regular starter last year and averaged 9.2 points per game. Dean also pulled down 3.4 rebounds per contest.
Davis, Kassie Soriano and Jeri Woudema are moving up from one of Triton's more succesful junior varsity teams.
Jessica Ganshorn and Brooke Blackford also will see extended time for Triton.
Nobody's name, according to Walker is etched in stone in the starting lineup.
"We have no starting five set," said Walker, who is 22-21 in his third year at Triton. "We have eight or nine girls who can play for us."
No matter what Walker's starting lineup ultimately is, the Trojans will have their hands full this season against some of the toughest competition a school Triton's size can face.
Outside of the NSC schedule, Triton will take on some highly-rated teams and some dynamics players.
The Trojans travel to rival Argos next Tuesday and face Amberly O'Dell and the Dragons. O'Dell is a 5-foot-8 guard who averaged 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists to go with 4.0 steals a game.
O'Dell recently committed to Central Michigan.
The Dragons are ranked second in 1A in the first preseason coaches poll.
Triton then travel to Fort Wayne to take on No. 7 (1A) Canterbury and 30 point per game scorer Megan King. King recently committed the College of Charleston.
The Trojans then take on Rochester at home December 13, No. 6 (3A) Plymouth in Bourbon January 16 and travel to No. 2 (2A) Manchester January 23.
"For a school our size," said Walker, we play as tough a schedule as anybody in the state."
Walker hopes that the tough regular season will make his team tough to beat in the postseason.
Since 1998, the Trojans have won five sectionals, two regionals and two state titles in 2000 and 2001.
Triton looks to recapture that sort of dominance in 1A.
"Our non-conference schedule will not only get us ready for our conference but ready for tournament time. We'll be ready to go. Our big picture is the same every year. We want to do well in conference and make a run at the state tournament."
Standing in the way of another sectional crown is Argos.
The Dragons won their first sectional in school history last year and also capture a regional crown before falling to eventual state champion Lafayette Central Catholic 65-53 in the semistate.
Culver, Marquette Catholic, Oregon-Davis, South Central (Union Mills) and Westville also comprise 1A sectional 50 that will take place at Oregon-Davis.
TRITON TROJANS
NO. NAME GRADE
4 Paige Davis 10
10 Jessica Ganshorn 11
12 Bethany Lemler 10
14 Kassie Soriano 11
20 Brooke Blackford 11
22 Emily Sauer 12
24 Brittany Mason 12
32 Bethany Shively 10
34 Megan Dean 11
40 Taryn Cooper 10
42 Jeri Woudema 11
44 Kelsey Bessinger 10
