VOORHEESVILLE — The players on the Voorheesville girls’ basketball team are looking to return the program to the high perch it once sat upon.

After winning just two games last season, the Blackbirds are hungry to get back to being one of the best small-school basketball programs in Section II.
"We’re very excited about it," said Voorheesville Coach John McClement. "We are looking to rebound from last year. By all accounts, it was a down year. It was the first time in 12 or more years that we haven’t had a piece of the final or championship. This group is hungry for that."

Voorheesville has five seniors who are returning and remember what it was like to win games. Jenna Massaroni, Alyssa Schultz, Kelly Larsen, Kara Zimmerman, and Sarah Belenchia are the upperclassmen coming back.
"We have five seniors returning and we also have a lot of younger kids that we moved up," McClement said.

Erika Schultz, Casey Beccerra, and Courtney Bourque moved up to the varsity during the season last year because of a slew of injuries.
"At that point of the season, we had nothing to lose," McClement said. "They had everything to gain. Our record didn’t indicate it, but we were competitive in most games. We lost a lot of games by one or two possessions. I think certainly that our record should have been better."

Brittany Vogel is also a returner to the varsity. The junior had a contributing role last year.

Joining the varsity are Katie Bollentin, Kate Prendergast, Krissie Norris, and Heather Bates.

"Every night will be a battle"

McClement expects his team to battle in the Colonial Council, as the league is tough as usual.
"Every night will be a battle," the coach said. "Nobody is above the other. There is no dominant team in this league, which is typical of the Colonial Council. Watervliet returns a lot. I’m not sure they had a senior last year. Holy Names has a new coach. I don’t know if they will have the same style as last year. Ravena has a new coach, so it’s the same thing there."

McClement and his players have discussed what it would take to get back to being competitive in the league.
"We had a big drop-off from what we do," McClement said. "They saw it, and the one thing we talked about is that they wanted to be different. This senior group wants things to be different. They want to change their luck."

The Blackbirds have had some scrimmages this pre-season as they get ready for the season opener Dec. 1 at Cobleskill.
"We just want to play games," McClement said. "At this point, we are ready to get on the court."

The players are ready to get on the court and get the tradition back.
"They know it," McClement said. "They’ve grown up with it. And I think that made last year even harder to deal with. The girls have had sisters that played, or cousins, or older friends. There is only one way to go after a two-win season and that is improve. They put in the time and I think everybody is accepting a role."

The Birds will have to improve in some of the technical aspects of the game.
"The big key is shooting consistently," McClement said. "We didn’t shoot consistently last year, particularly from the free-throw line. We do things that improve that. Improving our shooting is an everyday thing."

McClement hopes that improving will give his players confidence as they work their way back to the top.
"We’ve been winning for a long time," McClement said. "They don’t know any other way. They didn’t forget how to play basketball."