Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2023-24 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)
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It still lingers out there in hyperspace. It’s something the Upper Moreland Golden Bears will not exactly let go anytime soon, either. They have watched it together, and watched it alone, each time wincing at what happened, each one knowing they have a chance to change their history.
The returning core group of the Golden Bears have continuously watched a replay of their 67-56 loss to eventual PIAA District 1 Class 5A champion Bishop Shanahan in the opening round of last season’s district playoffs.
Upper Moreland senior Mikel Lancit is one of four returning senior starters. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
It is not easy to get it out of their systems, though it has served as a powerful motivating tool for Upper Moreland’s four returning senior starters: 5-foot-7 point guard Mikel Lancit, 5-5 guard Lianna Adames, 5-11 forward Marie Meyers and 5-10 forward Lilly Hansen.
The Golden Bears finished 15-8 overall and 11-5 in the Suburban One League Freedom Division last season, one game behind division champ Lower Moreland, snapping the Golden Bears’ run of three consecutive SOL Freedom Division titles.
Josh Adelman enters his second season as head coach after taking over for Matt Carroll, who rebuilt the program from ashes when he first arrived going 0-22 in his first season. Adelman returned to coaching after 12 years as Upper Dublin’s boys’ coach before stepping down following the 2016-17 season.
Adelman is full of optimism entering this season, considering the amount of experience back, along with a deep team that also includes 5-9 junior forward/center Riley Skedzielewski, 5-6 junior forward Charlie Clement, 5-10 freshman center/forward Hailey Milks, 5-6 junior guard Maggie Brophy, identical 5-7 junior forward twins Hailey and Emma Kramer and 5-7 sophomore guard Mia Taliaferro.
The Golden Bears will have to compensate for the graduation of Holly Gohl, who scored 1,200 points in her career and walked on at Millersville.
Adelman will be looking to push the ball with Lancit running the show from the point. He will also be looking at Lancit, Adames and Hansen to fill the scoring void left by Gohl, with Meyers providing an outside touch. The Golden Bears may not have one specific go-to player. That bodes well, because no opposing team can lock down a single player, and it may create a deficit when someone will be needed to step up in big moments.
It sounds like the Golden Bears have bought into Adelman’s sharing system.
“These girls are such great friends off the court that they feed off of each other and they trust each other,” he said. “They trust the system we run. They get into the gym six days a week and they are smart, and understand the game. Our four senior starters will probably play in college. This team has a lot to play for.”
Starting with erasing the memory of the one bad quarter they played at home in the district playoff loss to Shanahan, a No. 9 seed. Lancit will be a four-year starter. She distinctly remembers returning to the Upper Moreland locker room to muffled sobs and blood-shot eyes.
Lianna Adames (above) is a tough defender and ball-handler who can get to the rim. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
“I watched that game over and some of the girls were still watching it in school up into October,” she said. “It is motivating. We have a lot of returning players and some newcomers who have improved over the summer. We will be even stronger this year. We have girls who want to improve and want to be there for each other. We can do different things with the girls we have back.”
That includes applying more defensive pressure. Adelman can go possibly 10 deep. That reserve enables him to attack teams in waves, if he chooses. It is a possibility, he said, with the Golden Bears’ depth. He likes the Golden Bears’ halfcourt man defense and halfcourt zone.
He also teased the possibility of adding some new wrinkles to their press.
Adelman’s motion offense will work through Lancit and Adames. It is a group, Lancit stressed, more focused on the numbers on the scoreboard at the end of the game than any one player standing out. Lancit has been playing with Hansen and Meyers since they were six. Adames entered the Upper Moreland school district her freshman year.
“These girls really welcomed me in,” Adames said. “I don’t think anyone on this team really cares if they’re the leading scorer every game. Everyone cares about winning. That’s all we care about. This team is more like sisters than teammates. It’s why our chemistry is so good, and so close. We didn’t have to be sold on moving and sharing the ball.
“What will make us dangerous is everyone is an option.”
The fifth starting spot may come down to Clement, who had a very good summer, as well as Maggie Brophy, Hailey Kramer and the 5-10 freshman Milks.
It puts Adelman in a very good situation.
“I feel very confident in our offense, but we have players who play both ends of the floor,” he said. “I think we will be a difficult team that defends, as well as can run.”
Two of the four returning starters have a college destination: Meyers will be heading to Widener, and Hansen is set to go to Susquehanna University. Lancit and Adames will not have a problem gaining the attention from college scouts.
Winning is an attractive lure.
“No one wants to relive that district playoff loss, it was definitely hard for all of us,” Meyers said. “We are all out for revenge in a way. We want to get out and run this year. Our bigs are able to do more than most bigs, and our guards can shoot from anywhere. This is it for the seniors. We have stayed in the gym together and the chemistry is there. We know our roles. We talk about winning the district title every day.”
The time for dwelling is over.
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Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter here.
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