Lackawanna Trail’s Morgan Weisel goes up for a layup during a Lady Lions practice. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICE STUFFLE

BY KEVIN WOODRUFF

Wyoming County Press Examiner

The Lackawanna Trail girls’ basketball program, under first-year head coach Bob Fitzsimmons, will look to build upon the team’s successes from the past few seasons.

Lackawanna Trail’s girls finished with an 8-6 record last year in Lackawanna League Division III and 11-13 overall under former coach Errol Mannick and will look to keep a good thing going.

However, the Lions will have to compete without standouts Clarissa Eggleston, Natasha Pacholec and Jennifer Lauzon, who all graduated last season.

The Lions return a pair of seniors in Brianna Smarkusky and Gabby Sunseri, along with sophomores Kerrigan Buck, Melissa Grimm, Grace Wetzel, Morgan Weisel and Daria Lewandowski.

“We hope to finish better in the division than last year and go deeper into the playoffs,” Fitzsimmons said.

In order to achieve that success, Fitzsimmons said the Lions will have to compete in tough games with Forest City and Montrose.

Fitzsimmons will look to his seniors, Smarkusky and Sunseri, to provide a spark for the Lion team.

Lackawanna Trail’s girls’ varsity basketball team is comprised of seniors Sunseri and Smarkusky, sophomores Buck, Grimm, Wetzel, Weisel, Lewandowski and Rachel Perkins, and freshmen Carli Kalinoski, Anna Kane, Tammy Perkins and Alyssa Sohns.

Lackawanna Trail gets its season kicked off at the Lady Tiger Tip-Off Tournament in Tunkhannock on Friday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m.

Full schedule:

Nov. 24, Towanda, A, 10 a.m.

Dec. 7-8, Tunkhannock Tournament, A, 6 p.m.

Dec. 11, Lake-Lehman, H, 6 p.m.

Dec. 14, Carbondale, A, 6 p.m.

Dec. 18, Lakeland, H, 6 p.m.

Dec. 21, Valley View, A, 6 p.m.

Dec. 26-28, Riverside Tournament, A, 6 p.m.

Jan. 2, Riverside, A, 6 p.m.

Jan. 4, Susquehanna, A, 6 p.m.

Jan. 7, Mt. View, A, 6 p.m.

Jan. 10, Forest City, H, 6 p.m.

Jan. 14, Elk Lake, H, 6 p.m.

Jan. 17, Blue Ridge, A, 6 p.m.

Jan. 21, Montrose, H, 6 p.m.

Jan. 29, Riverside, H, 6 p.m.

Jan. 31, Susquehanna, H, 6 p.m.

Feb. 2, Mt. View, H, 6 p.m.

Feb. 4, Forest City, A, 6 p.m.

Feb. 7, Elk lake, A, 6 p.m.

Feb. 12, Blue Ridge, H, 6 p.m.

Feb. 12, Montrose, A, 6 p.m.