A look at Adena ahead at the girls basketball season

FRANKFORT − It's good to be the champion. Adena has known that feeling for the past two seasons.

The Warriors have ruled the Scioto Valley Conference for the past two years. In that span, they've lost just four games to conference opponents and have won the conference title in both years.

But the Warriors are on the precipice of treading new ground. They've never won the SVC more than two years in a row. But they have snatched their past two conference titles with ease and are poised to make a run for a third-consecutive championship.

The idea isn't far-fetched. Sure, the Warriors lost key production players after last season, but they've also gained plenty of new faces to fill in the ranks. Plus, there's still plenty of talent to take command of the starting rotation.

Adena has the talent to make the title run plausible. Its roster is deep, and recent seasons have been nothing if not successful. Before the 2022-2023 season gets underway, here's sneak peek at Adena and what you need to know:

Inside the Warriors

The Warriors are entering their fourth season under coach Andrew Day and are looking to replicate the success that has come so easily during his tenure. Day holds a 49-19 record through his first three seasons at the helm, and he guided the Warriors to back-to-back SVC and sectional championships over the past two years.

The Warriors have lost just 10 conference games during Day's tenure, and they've routinely floated toward the top of the conference. Not to mention a consistent lineup stacked with mostly juniors and sophomores this season provides plenty of room for the Warriors to foster further growth down the line.

Who's gone, and who's back?

The bad news for the Warriors is they'll have big shoes to fill this year. They lost five players during the offseason, including All-SVC Second Team mention Jadyn Smith and Third Team mention Makaela Lovely.

It's a lot of production to lose, but Adena can sustain the losses. It has plenty of returning starters to plug the holes. Emma Garrison, who was named All-SVC First Team last season, is back once again. The junior averaged 13 points and six rebounds per game last year and was an All-Ohio Honorable Mention.

Aside from Garrison, the Warriors also return senior Caelan Miner, as well as juniors Kiera Williams and Sydney Ater. Day predicts that all three will step up as cornerstones of the program this season thanks to the five losses in the offseason.

"We lost a lot of production from the girls that graduated," Day said. "We do have four girls back that played significant roles on our team last season, and we will count on them to produce at a high level and to be leaders for us."

New additions to the roster

Just as five players leave, another five take their place. Adena has picked up three additional guards and two forwards during the offseason, and all five are looking to play at least some role in the future.

Guards Grace Townsend and Jacey Smith both saw significant time on the floor during Adena's scrimmage against Zane Trace on Friday. Townsend tallied six points after knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, and Smith spent much of the scrimmage working with some of the starting rotation.

The remaining newcomers of Caroline Corcoran, Kamryn Sowers and Corinne Day all got a few minutes on the court during the scrimmage on Friday, and the trio combined for six points.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: A look at Adena ahead at the girls basketball season