Experienced seniors will make year fun

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By J. Mike Blake, mblake@newsobserver.com

Chances are good that your favorite high school girls’ basketball team is returning three or four starters.

That makes this year interesting, as does Green Hope’s streak of 57 straight conference wins.

Tri-9 preview

(Last year’s overall record noted.)

Green Hope (28-3): Gone is Kristen Gaffney, last year’s N.C. player of the year and Wake County’s all-time leading scorer. Returning is Ashley Williams (15.8 points, 7.2 assists per game) along with Cassidey Sowards, Melissa Bridges and Jaria Martin.

Holly Springs (19-8): The Golden Hawks bring back conference player of the year Kiara Leslie (16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds per game), a junior. Also returning are starters Linnea Hoops, Ka’la Jordan and Hadiya Howard.

Panther Creek (16-9): The Catamounts will be strong in the post with 6-foot-4 senior Allie Tuttle (15.1 ppg), a Northwestern recruit, and Mercedes Harris. Harris was an all-conference pick in 2010 but moved to Rhode Island last year. Jordan Webb, Brittany Jewett and Waverly Peng also return.

Cary (16-11): Cary made a surprise run to the third round of the playoffs with two players scoring all but three points in three games. Those two players are back, but Whitney Coleman (17.7 ppg) will have to wait for Azura Stevens (16 ppg) to return, as Stevens will miss four to six weeks with a fractured fibula.

Mallory Curtis returns for her third year as a starter, while it’s the first year for coach Patrick Daly, who left Athens Drive.

Apex (7-16): Apex used a final-week win against Middle Creek to claim the final playoff tie-in and put a positive end on the year.

That could carry over as the Cougars return their top five scorers from a year ago, led by Aliya Ruffin (9.2 ppg).

Middle Creek (14-13): Betsy Dohrer leads a group that returns three starters from a year ago and adds a Union Pines transfer in Tyler Ross (16.7 ppg, 13.8 rpg).

Athens Drive (5-20): Coach Dayna Jordan, who led Broughton to a state title in her 10 seasons, begins her first year with the Jaguars.

Fuquay-Varina (3-20): Senior Camille Baker (12.3 ppg) will be the go-to scorer for the Bengals.

Lee County (2-22): Lee returns five seniors.