The Archbishop Hoban girls basketball team is aiming for its fifth consecutive Division I district title this season with a mix of returning players and some new faces.
Senior Mackenzie Edingburgh and sophomore Niera Stevens have stepped into larger scoring roles for Hoban, which entered Friday with an 8-0 record before a 3:30 p.m. tipoff against Holland Springfield in the Wendy's Holiday Hoopla at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
"We have a nice mix of some veteran players that were part of district championship teams and also new kids," Hoban coach Pamela Davis said. "It is a nice blend of veterans and new kids.
"... These girls play great collectively. Everybody has their own niche and groove and they play very well collectively."
Hoban returned three players with extensive starting experience in Edingburgh, senior Devin Harris and sophomore Makenzie Grant. Harris was a partial starter because she missed the latter part of last season with a fractured foot.
Edingburgh, Harris and Grant start this season along with sophomores Niera Stevens and Taylyn Banta.
Hoban's reserves are senior Maya Pooler, junior Finley Kennedy, sophomores Kathleen Jones, Zoey Hodge, Amariya Davis and Jazze Golden and freshman Jonna Albertson.
Davis said she usually plays 10 players, with six of them being sophomores this season.
"I was holding my breath, to be honest, on whether or not our sophomores could mature quickly, and they have not disappointed me," Davis said.
Edingburgh is averaging 12.8 points. She scored 24 points in a victory over Austintown Fitch, 20 in a win over Waynedale, 15 in a triumph over Toledo Central Catholic and 14 in a victory over Ellet.
Stevens is averaging 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals. Her highest scoring games were wins over Howland (19 points), Gilmour Academy (17), Cleveland John Marshall (16) and Youngstown Ursuline (12).
Harris scored 19 points against Gilmour and 11 against Ursuline. She is averaging 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Banta scored 10 points apiece against Howland and Waynedale and is at 7.1 points and 2.3 assists.
"We are playing really well," said Edingburgh, a 5-foot-6 guard. "I am proud of our team. We have come a long way. Last year, we were not as successful early in the season as we are this year, and we still have a really young team. I am happy where we are."
Hoban graduated three starters from last season's district title team — Rylee Bennett, Emma Rasmussen and Kennedy Arison.
Edingburgh, Harris and Pooler are this season's seniors.
"We bring a lot of leadership to the team," Edingburgh said. "Without leadership, there is not really a team. Each of us have our own roles."
The six sophomores — Stevens, Banta, Jones, Hodge, Davis and Golden — have helped the Knights continue to win.
"They are a really good class," Edingburgh said. "They really work hard, especially at practice where they always go at it. They are all going to be really successful later on."
Banta and Davis transferred from St. Vincent-St. Mary to Hoban. Both are eligible to play the first 11 games of the regular season and then will be sidelined for the final 11 games of the regular season and the postseason, per an OHSAA transfer rule.
Stevens, a 5-5 guard-forward, said she enjoys "being a facilitator and being that player that bring that spark of energy to the floor."
"I really appreciate our seniors," Stevens said. "Mackenzie has been here for four years and has had to wait, like how I did, to really step into that spot and lead. She has accepted me with open arms and helped me play out there on the court.
"... It is the same with Devin and Maya, Devin in the starting lineup and Maya coming in off the bench, also being one our nice point guards and facilitators. They have welcomed us into the group and make us feel like a part of it."
One of Hoban's most interesting games took place Dec. 2 when the team went on a four-hour bus ride from Akron to Westerville South.
"Our best play came against Waynedale," Davis said. "... We had literally 45 minutes to prepare for them because our opponent changed down in Westerville [in the Thrill at the Ville]. We caught a couple of YouTube highlights, we looked at MaxPreps to see who their best scorers were and we just rolled the ball out and we competed.
"We were supposed to play Gahanna Lincoln, but we got into a major traffic jam going down [Interstate] 71. We were not going to make our game time, so some opponents were switched around so that we could still play in the event.
"... We need to be true to ourselves and play our style, and that is what we did against Waynedale. We pressured the ball defensively and tried to keep the tempo upbeat. We try to get our opponents out of their comfort zone and then execute the best we can offensively."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mackenzie Edingburgh, Niera Stevens lead Hoban girls basketball team
