Whitko’s Aly Reiff will be one of the area’s best players in 2015-16. (File photo by Mike Deak)

SOUTH WHITLEY – The Whitko girls basketball program has taken some big steps over the past two years. The Wildcats won 16 games in each of their last two seasons put together their first back-to-back winning campaigns since the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.

But each of the last two journeys ended with similar results, a loss in the sectional championship. After last season’s final game, a 62-36 decision at the hands of eventual state runner-up Tippecanoe Valley, the team met to talk about exactly what the future needed to be for their program.

“The week following the sectional, we had a team meeting to talk about the future and our preparation,” said head coach Brandon Bradley. “At that time we put together a to-do list. A few of the things on that list included a team GPA goal of 3.25 or better, making 71-percent of our free throws and setting records for fewest turnovers.

“We also talked about winning the program’s first sectional title and second conference title. Once again we talked about competing for a state title, but more importantly we discuss the process it will take to achieve that. More than anything, we need to remain healthy. Last year we played every game without two to three of our projected starters.”

One of the biggest injuries for Whitko did not come until the sectional in which Brianna Cumberland ended her season with a knee injury while trying to get back in transition before bumping into another player.  It was a fluke injury that left the team without one of its top players for the remainder of the sectional. Cumberland, along with other 2014-15 injured players Kennedy Krull and Hanna Yohe, has progressed well and is ready to make an impact back on the hardwood for Bradley’s team.

“I’m very pleased with her (Cumberland) progression to this point,” Bradley said of the junior. “Having her back is great for us. She gives us an accurate perimeter threat, she led our conference in three-point shooting last year. She’s an intelligent and instinctive player.

“One of the biggest injuries we had to overcome down the stretch was the broken finger that Hanna suffered at Southwood. She had earned her way into the starting lineup and was doing a great job at the defensive end of the floor, as well as getting some easy baskets off of others. We definitely missed her energy, toughness, and defensive presence. Getting Kennedy back also is big for us. She’s a very intelligent kid and has shown the ability to score a little, rebound and defend.”

The biggest focus for opposing teams will be Aly Reiff. The junior had strong showings at both the IBCA Top-100 Showcase this past July and at the famed John Lucas Camp in Houston that she was invited to in the fall.

“She had another outstanding offseason and continues to get stronger and more explosive,” Bradley said of his budding star. “She should fulfill the role she always has for us, taking care of the ball, scoring at all levels, rebounding at a high level and now she’s defending the ball better than ever.

“Her motor is incredible and, in addition to her statistical contributions, I don’t think people realize how many other little things she does for us. She can play all five positions for us effectively at both ends of the floor, and she does whatever the team needs her to, without hesitation.”

Whitko will be a serious threat in the Three Rivers Conference this season, a group that had three teams make ti to semi-state last year. Bradley expects to see Valley and Rochester both return as strong contenders while Wabash should also still make an impact.

The biggest change for the Wildcats this year is dropping from class 3A to 2A in the postseason tournament. Whitko will now call sectional 35 home for the foreseeable future. The new field includes Westview, a team that posted a 25-4 record last season and brings plenty of talent back for 2015-16. Bremen and Central Noble are two other teams to keep an eye on.

Whitko won its season opener 90-37 over Fort Wayne North and will travel to Central Noble Tuesday evening.