OXFORD — The Talawanda High School girls basketball team returns Butler County’s leading scorer for the 2022-2023 season, along with the Brave’s other four starters from last season.
And that makes Talawanda coach Mary Jo Huismann a happy camper.
“We are very excited about the prospect of doing better than any other Talawanda basketball team has done,” said Huismann, who enters her fifth season at the helm.
Huismann is the only female coach in the state with over 700 career coaching wins.
“With everyone healthy, we should be able to play and finish better than we did last year,” Huismann said. “They are all working hard for that to happen this year.”
Senior Kylee Fears, who led the county in scoring last season and has committed to Merrimack College (Mass.), bucketed 19 points and pulled down 13.9 rebounds a game as a junior. She fired 56.9 percent from the floor.
Senior Taylor Farris, who has committed to Southern Illinois, averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 assists a game.
Also returning in the starting lineup for the Brave are senior Kaelyn Wright and juniors Myah Keene and McKenna Weekley. Keene averaged 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds a game a season ago, while Weekley (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Wright (2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg) contributed as well. Wright and Keene recently returned to practice after finishing up a stellar season on the volleyball court for Talawanda.
Huismann said to expect plenty of playing time for senior Halee McDade, who scored 4.7 points and had 2.1 rebounds a game last season.
The Brave tip things off on Nov. 21 at Valley View at 7:30 p.m.
2022-2023 Talawanda Brave Roster
Number Player Grade Position
2 Grayce Sieg 12 G
4 Kaelyn Wright 12 G
5 McKenna Weekley 11 G
10 Halee McDade 12 C-F
11 Taylor Farris 12 G
13 Rose Bothast-Revalee 11 G
21 Olicia Naiman 10 G
22 Myah Keene 11 F
23 Layni Short 10 F
24 Hannah Kolb 12 C-F
32 Grace Richardson 9 G
44 Kylee Fears 12 C-F
2022-2023 Talawanda Brave Schedule
Nov. 21 at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 28 Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 30 at Harrison, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 7 Edgewood, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 at Monroe, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 12 at Preble Shawnee High School, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 14 at Mt. Healthy, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17 St. Ursula, 12:30 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Madison, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 21 at Northwest, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 22 at Badin, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 Ross, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 7 Harrison, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 at Edgewood, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14 East Central, TBD
Jan. 18 Mt. Healthy, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23 Eaton, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 25 Northwest7, :30 p.m.
Jan. 28 at Franklin County, 6 p.m. at Knightstown Hoosier Gym
Jan. 30 at Taylor, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 at Ross, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4 McNicholas, 1:30 p.m.
