After capturing the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division banner and earning a berth in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV final last year, the Crestwood Red Devils’ basketball team will have a different look but.
“I would say the expectations are always going to be elevated and high but within reality, understanding that we did lose a lot of experience and are going to be young and will grow throughout the season and continue to get better and hopefully by the end of the season,” said Coach T.J. Henderson.
As Crestwood enters the 2025-26 campaign as the reigning CVC Valley Division champions, they will attempt to repeat as conference champions in a division that has undergone some changes. Cardinal has left join the Northeastern Athletic Conference Stars Division and Portage County rival Rootstown has taken its place. The CVC Valley Division’s expansion will also include Chagrin Falls.
The fifth-year coach acknowledged that the CVC Valley Division will be more competitive with the league is welcoming a Rootstown a squad that was the OHSAA Division VI runners-up last year and a similarly talented Chagrin Falls team.
“I would say right now Rootstown and Chagrin Falls are probably the two teams that are going to be what people are looking at to try and take the title,” Henderson noted. “I am not saying that we don’t have an opportunity because we definitely do but those two teams right now would be your frontrunners just due to experience.”
The Red Devils’ quest to build off of a historic season will feature a team that fields only two returning starters after graduating three core players in Hannah Ward, Maddie Dustman and Abby Guyette.
Henderson emphasized the impact that the graduating players had on last year’s team, including Ward, who was the team’s focal point on offense. While recognizing the impact of graduating those players, he also highlighted the team’s athleticism and returning experience still shapes a bright outlook.
“We have so much talent throughout the team that we are going to be able to hopefully trust each other and move the basketball and then we will have games where people will have really good games and the next game it will be someone else,” he said.
The Red Devils’ returning starters include junior guard Liv Martini and senior guard Becca Brady.
The 5-foot-6 Martini returns after averaging 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 25 games.
“She is going into her third year of varsity basketball,” Henderson said. “She is just as quick, but she is stronger now and is handling the ball better and she is starting to trust herself a little bit shooting the ball which has been something that we have really been working on.”
The 5-foot-6 Brady will keep her starting role after recording 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 23 games.
“I think last year we started seeing that as the season played on, everyone just keyed on Hannah and it let Becca have some freedom,” Henderson noted. “She had some games where she really helped us, she is not just a shooter anymore.”
Junior guard Maddie Grace Gonczy will inherit the point guard responsibilities and sophomore forward Ava Lincoln will also be inserted into the starting line-up.
The 5-foot-4 Gonczy averaged 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 19 games while the 5-foot-11 Lincoln recorded 3.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 25 games off the bench.
“She had a really good offseason playing AAU,” Henderson said of Lincoln. “She played up two grad levels which was huge for her to play against older girls, a little faster and a little stronger. She has really done some individual stuff, but we have just got to keep working on her confidence and understanding that she has the skillset to be a very good basketball player.”
Completing the Red Devils’ starting five will be freshman Reese Harper, who will be thrust into a starting role to add some size to Crestwood’s frontcourt alongside Lincoln.
“She has a high motor, has a good basketball IQ, makes a lot of really good decisions and just is non-fazed by certain things,” Henderson said of the 5-foot-10 Harper. “She likes contact and seeks it out at certain times, she is all over the boards.”
Keying the Red Devils’ bench will be junior guards Piper Seibold and Jackie Blasiole.
Crestwood’s season will begin when they host Portage County rival Mogadore Saturday morning in Mantua at 11:45 a.m.
