Decatur Girls Open on the Road

BERLIN- With a handful of returning key players and a bunch of new players ready to step up, the season looks bright for Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity basketball team, which hits the road for the 2008-2009 campaign opener against Washington tonight.

Under the direction of first-year coach Ron Knerr last year, the Seahawks went just 3-16 on the season and bowed out of the state playoffs in the first round. With his core players back this year, plus a talented group of newcomers, Knerr is hoping to improve on that mark as a new season gets underway today.

Seniors Shae Nottingham and Shai Shockley, who led the Seahawks last year, return as co-captains this season, providing the young Seahawks with veteran leadership. Junior Virginia Harris returns from last year and will run the point for the Seahawks, while another junior, Kylie Nottingham, is expected to provide a big spark for Decatur again this year.

The Seahawks will find out early how much they have improved this year, and they'll have to do it on the road. Decatur opens with three straight road games, including the opener against Washington today, before finally returning home next Friday against James M. Bennett.