JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com

COCALICO

COACH – Shawn Martin (1st season).

LAST SEASON: 3-13 Section 2 (6th place), 5-18 overall.

SO LONG – G Xeni Barakos (3.7 points a game last season), F Jackie North (3.7), F Jes Zimmerman (6.4) and coach Abbie Houck, who resigned her post after going 91-70 in six seasons with the Eagles.

WELCOME BACK – F Shirah Graybill (Jr., 7.7), G Emily Harris (Sr., 1.9), G Rachel Hurst (Sr., 6.7, 18 3-pointers last season), F CariBeth Shappell (Sr., 9.2), F Samantha Weaver (Jr., 1.9).

OUTLOOK – One year after winning the Section 3 championship, the Eagles landed in Section 2 last season – trading places with Lebanon after league realignment — and Cocalico struggled mightily in its new surroundings. And then Houck – the former Abbie Fabian, the program’s all-time leading scorer – stepped down. Martin is calling the shots now, and he has a good nucleus to build around, including Hurst, a 3-point specialist; Graybill, a shot-blocker and rebound-plucker; and Shappell, a solid open-court player who can score inside and out. Just a hunch, but the Eagles are going to have a say in who wins this race.

CONESTOGA VALLEY

COACH – Jerry Beekler (6th season; 58-66 overall).

LAST SEASON – 9-7 Section 2 (champs), 14-12 overall (lost to McCaskey in first round of District 3 Quad-A playoffs).

SO LONG – G Caitlyn Dillard (16.6, L-L League scoring champ, 24 3-pointers, New Era All-Star, Section 2 All-Star, program-best 1,718 career points), F Christine Puschak (2.7).

WELCOME BACK – G Gabie Barlow (Sr., 2.3), G Allison Bauer (Sr., 13.1, 39 3-pointers, Section 2 All-Star, 825 career points), F Morgan Gerz (Sr., 1.6), F Marqui Lyons (Sr., 6.2), F Kirsten Madonna (Jr., 1.6), G Jesenia Santiago (Sr.), G Kristine Zeiset (Sr., 2.8).

OUTLOOK – Peachy, even with the loss of Dillard, the leading scorer in the history of the program. Bull’s-eye: Buckskins are the team to beat in Section 2. Bauer is terrific on both ends of the court – she can lock you down at one end, and then drill a 3-pointer at the other — and she should go over 1,000-career points just after the new year. Zeiset is steady at the point and can distribute. Lyons is a pillar in the paint and is tough on putbacks. Barlow, Gerz and Madonna are all stingy on D and can trap. If the Bucks can get through the crossover games in one piece, a section repeat is certainly not out of the question.

ELIZABETHTOWN

COACH – Mike Pericci (3rd season; 26-25 overall).

LAST SEASON – 5-11 Section 2 (4th place), 8-15 overall.

SO LONG – G Liz Bard (12.0, 12 3-pointers, Section 2 All-Star), G Kayla Blecher (2.6), G Tonya Kauffman (3.6), F Marci Neidig (2.4), F Megan Neidig (7.9).

WELCOME BACK: F Becca Bigler (Jr., 3.3), G Jen Dunkelberger (Sr., 2.1).

OUTLOOK: The Bears are now two seasons removed from a spirited trip to the District 3 Quad-A semifinals, and everyone from that team is long gone. It’s pretty safe to say this will be a rebuilding season in E-town, where just two experienced players are back in the fold. Replacing Bard, the floor general, will not be an easy chore. Be patient, Bears’ fans. That team from two seasons ago was young once, too.

EPHRATA

COACH – Mike Garman (2nd stop with Ephrata; coached the Mountaineers girls’ program from 1995-2001).

LAST SEASON – 4-12 Section 2 (5th place), 8-15 overall.

SO LONG – G Arielle Gordon (8.7, 15 3-pointers), F Nicole Martin (3.1), F Christine Weaver (7.9) and coach Loren Souder, who resigned his post after going 24-44 in three seasons with the Mountaineers.

WELCOME BACK – G Emily Beamesderfer (Jr., 2.4), G Aly Goodman (Jr., 6.2), G Gabrielle Hondros (Sr., 4.5), G Brynn Lyons (Sr., 10.3, 27 3-pointers), F Audrey Thorp (Sr., 1.9), F Claire Woolley (Jr., 1.3).

OUTLOOK: The new coach is the same as the old coach. Garman is back in the saddle for the Mountaineers, and he’s no stranger to local basketball fans. He also coached at McCaskey, Cocalico and Millersville University, and his goal is to get Ephrata moving again. Replacing Gordon, the lightning-quick point guard, and inside threats Weaver and Martin will not be easy. But there are some athletes here, like Lyons, a 3-point specialist; Goodman, who is tough in transition; and Hondros, who was instant offense off the bench last year. If the Mounts can buy into Garman’s new schemes, they could be a major player in the race.

GARDEN SPOT

COACH – Kevin Gensemer (1st season).

LAST SEASON – 7-9 Section 2 (2nd place), 11-13 overall (lost to Lebanon in the L-L League quarterfinals).

SO LONG – F Jenny Huyett (9.0, 19 3-pointers), F Jill Sanger (4.1), F Arielle Wenger (1.7) and coach Mark Silcox, who resigned his post after going 15-31 in two seasons with the Spartans.

WELCOME BACK – G Breana Caldwell (Jr., 3.7), F Tynesha Faust (Sr., 4.9), G Emily Good (Sr., 2.4), G Brittany Hibshman (Sr., 3.0), G Amber King (Sr., 1.7), G Chrissy Taylor (7.5, 30 3-pointers, Section 2 All-Star), G Nadine Yunginger (Jr., 3.3, 13 3-pointers), G Nicole Yunginger (Sr., 0.6).

OUTLOOK: Definitely intriguing. The Spartans came out of the back of the pack last season and made a nice run to finish second in the section and get back in the league playoffs for the first time since 2000. And with Taylor, a major sharpshooter, back in the mix, Garden Spot has a go-to scorer. Also keep an eye on Caldwell, a blossoming open-court player with some hops. If Hibshman can distribute and Faust can help out on the boards, the Spartans will scare the heck out of everyone – including CV.

SOLANCO

COACH – Tom McDonald (2nd season; 10-13 overall).

LAST SEASON – 6-10 Section 2 (3rd place), 10-13 overall.

SO LONG – F Tracee Harrison (14.8, Section 2 All-Star).

WELCOME BACK – G CeCe Buzzard (Sr., 10.4, 16 3-pointers), G Morgan Erb (Jr., 1.2), G Morgan Jackson (Sr., 5.4), G Taylor Kreider (So., 6.8).

OUTLOOK: A mix of clouds and sun. The Golden Mares made a terrific second-half run last season, finishing a game out of second place in the section. Harrison, an all-star, had a lot to do with that. But she’s at Alvernia now. And the Mares took another hit when junior G Kelsey Miller (7.2, 22 3-pointers) didn’t come back to the team. Still, there is an experienced nucleus here, with Kreider, an electric point guard, Jackson, a steady two-way threat, and Buzzard, a reliable scorer, all back in the fold. Keep one eye on Quarryville for sure. Sleeper team alert.