After two straight District 2 Class 2A championship seasons and a longer stretch as a consistent title contender, the Holy Cross girls basketball team is facing the prospect of some difficult times this season.
“Having lost the first seven players from our rotation last year, we are well aware of the challenges ahead of us,” Holy Cross coach Barry Fitzgerald said.
The Lady Crusaders have lost the first three games, all against larger schools with winning records, by at least 24 points.
Among the players Holy Cross needs to replace is two-time, first-team, all-state selection Kaci Kranson, who is already making an impact on the nationally ranked University of Scranton women’s team.
Giuliana Mazza, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, and Abby Thompson, a 5-4 junior guard, are the most experienced players returning.
Juniors Jenna Luciani, a forward, and Alison Ross, a guard, also have some experience and have joined them as the players the Lady Crusaders lean on.
Fitzgerald has mixed in many new faces to fill the remaining spots in the rotation.
The challenges should become more manageable as the season progresses.
Holy Cross goes from a very difficult non-league schedule for a Class 2A team – one built through the tradition of the program’s success – to playing against slightly larger schools in the Lackawanna League Division 3 season to dropping down to Class 2A competition for the postseason.
