Demon girls gaining experience quickly

Of the graduating seniors from last season, it would be easy for the Washington girls? basketball team to be worried about their post play.

Three of the seniors on the 2015-16 team held a majority of the time share for the Demons? post play last season, but with new athletes coming in to fill the void, Washington head coach Jordan Bentley is impressed through the first week and a half in practice.

?We are playing pretty physical without having the height we had last year, but we still have height this year,? Bentley said. ?We have height but we lose the experience level. Overall we are learning how to work for position, but defensively we will have to change schemes.?

With young athletes coming in to take the post responsibilities, the Demons understand there could be some growing pains, but they are hopeful the team can learn and adjust on the fly.

?It is (going to be a trial by fire),? Bentley said. ?Some of them might have played freshman or sophomore basketball last year, or even eighth-grade basketball last year, and now they are going up against juniors and seniors, and in our conference, we?ll have two teams that will likely be ranked all season long. It?s going to be an eye-opening experience for them and as coaches as we see where we are at and making sure we are progressing in the right direction.?

With much of the returning experience coming from the guard corps, the team understands that they will likely play to their strengths early in the season, using their strong shooters and speed to outrun opponents.

?Since we are a little bit smaller, we are a little bit quicker,? Washington junior guard Sarah Nacos said. ?We are playing a little better defense because of our speed. Last year, we were just putting in the offense and the defense, but this year, we knew what we were doing and it?s going smoother.?

Nacos was the Demons? top scorer last season, averaging 9.8 points per game, and notching 35 3-point attempts, and is one of three returners who played in at least 11 varsity contests last year.

Junior Brooke Stout saw action in 20 of the team?s 21 games, coming off the bench to average 1.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest, while the team?s lone senior, Taylor Dicks, played in 18 games in a bench role last season.

As the lone senior, Dicks said she sometimes feels a little extra pressure, but the help she gets from the junior class is making things easier on the team.

?Sometimes I do (feel extra pressure), but the juniors really help pick up the slack,? Dicks said. ?They are really good leaders. It?s nice to have them. They are kind of semi-seniors. They help me out.?

With Nacos being one of the top returners on the team, Bentley understands that many teams will be keeping an eye on her while game planning for the Demons this season.

?Sarah is a great leader,? Bentley said. ?The girls look up to her for what she?s going to do and how she?s going to act when certain things happen on the floor. Her shot looks good and her defense is looking good. She?s still the solid player we had last year, and now she?s more experienced. Mentally, we have to be ready for nights where other teams say, ?We know Sarah is your best shooter, and we aren?t going to let her have the ball.??

In the offseason, the Demons got a taste of what life without Nacos would be like, as she was busy furthering her golfing career. That experience will only help the Demons moving forward, according to Bentley.

?She?s such a good golfer, that when we are doing camps and stuff in the summer, she?s golfing and she?s not there, and that helps build the confidence in the other girls,? Bentley said. ?They realize there are times when she?s not on the floor and we have to be able to perform without her.?

Bentley said having the ability to push the tempo this season is exciting, because with injuries and the makeup of the team, that wasn?t always a possibility last year.

?It?s exciting to see that we might be able to push the tempo,? Bentley said. ?Last year, we had the workings where we might have been able to do that, but we got bit by the injury bug and were playing the same six kids for 32 minutes and we couldn?t do that. I think we are a little deeper and I want to continue to get deeper. If we get there, I think the pace of our game will pick up.?

With the Demons coming off a 10-win season, they are looking to continue growing the program, and are eyeing a second-straight season with double-digit victories.

?We don?t want to go backward,? Dicks said. ?We are sticking with the goal of double-digit wins. I think we can do it.?

The Demons will open the season on Nov. 21 when they travel to face Eddyville-Blakesburg at 7:45 p.m.