By Sue Teggart
C & G Sports Writer

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Utica Eisenhower girls basketball coach Kevin Donahue is quietly building a program that can consistently contend with the elite programs that make up the Macomb Area Conference Red Division.

Over the past two seasons, the Eagles have amassed a 24-20 record, including going 6-4 in the Red last season, good for a tie for second place with perennial power Fraser High. They opened the current season with two straight victories.

Donahue said adding young, talented players to the program is vital to keeping Ike moving in the right direction.

“We have a number of young kids on our team that are contributing, and I think those are signs that you look for that you’re moving in the right direction,” said Donahue, who, as the longest-serving girls basketball coach in Ike’s history, knows a thing or two about building a lasting program.

As far as this season is concerned, Ike had some holes to fill after graduating a good chunk of its scoring and rebounding in forward Michelle Blaine and guard Alyssa Telang.
That said, the Eagles are looking for players to step up and fill some vacant roles. 

“We lost a lot of production from last year,” Donahue said. “With this group … I think anybody could be our leading scorer any night. People will emerge into those leadership roles as we go down the road. Right now, we’re not sure how all of the roles are going to play out. At the beginning, we’re going to try and get it done by committee.”

Donahue is confident his six returning players will provide stability for their younger teammates.

Back for the Eagles are seniors Kayla Chriss (guard), Chelsea Washinski (guard), Lauren Pomorski (forward) and Kaitlyn Filipp (guard/forward), junior Christina Nagle (guard) and sophomore Kayla Geffert (guard).

“We have a really nice group of kids, and I think our team chemistry is pretty good,” Donahue said. “We’re all going to have to pitch in. The more a kid can do, the better chance they will emerge as a leading scorer or a key player. We’re a young team, and we may have some ups and downs. I think we’re going to become more consistent.”

“We don’t take any one person as a leader,” said Chriss, one of the team captains. “We need people to step up. It’s not going to be one person that’s going to get all the points. It needs to be contribution from everyone.”

Newcomers to the varsity include juniors Annie Schwartz, Anna Vess, Shelby Jenkins, Melissa Lewalski, Kimmy Morck and Danielle Krajcic, and sophomore Lauren Wirth. All the young players are expected to fill vital roles and provide depth.

The Eagles also added freshman Natalie Nowak to the varsity lineup as the backup point guard.

“We’re rotating a lot of people in and out,” Donahue said regarding his search to find a starting five. “Our first game (against Detroit Northwestern), we virtually hit every shot in the first quarter. … It was just a matter of experimenting the rest of the game.”

Donahue said the key to continuing a winning tradition is playing tough defense.

“With a young team, you’ve got to find a way to create easy baskets,” Donahue said. “The best way to do that is with our defense. We’re going to continue to press and create offense by forcing the other team to make mistakes.”

Catch Ike in action next at Warren Woods Tower at 7 p.m. Dec. 10.

You can reach Sports Writer Sue Teggart at steggart@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1107.