2002-03 SCHEDULE

Nov. 29-30 -- at Kiser Classic tourney Dec. 2 -- at Lakeview Dec. 5 -- at West Middlesex Dec. 6 -- at Jamestown Dec. 9 -- Slippery Rock Dec. 11 -- at Sharon Dec. 16 -- Commodore Perry Dec. 19 -- at Kennedy Catholic Dec. 23 -- Grove City Jan. 3 -- Sharpsville* Jan. 6 -- West Middlesex Jan. 9 -- Reynolds* Jan. 13 -- at Sharpsville* Jan. 17 -- at Greenville* Jan. 20 -- at Commodore Perry Jan. 23 -- at Wilmington* Jan. 27 -- Kennedy Catholic Jan. 30 -- at Reynolds* Feb. 3 -- Sharon Feb. 6 -- Greenville* Feb. 10 -- Hickory Feb. 13 -- at Wilmington* Feb. 15 -- at Slippery Rock    #=MCAC-AA contest

By The Herald Sports Staff

An interest in the Mercer High girls basketball program and a concern over a vacant position were enough to bring Art Amos back into the world of high school athletics.

Amos has coached at the high school level before. The freshman head coach brought baseball back to the school and had it winning in a matter of a few seasons. He also served as the junior varsity coach under retired boys varsity coach Dave Cook.

With his daughter in seventh grade at Mercer, Amos wanted to get involved in the lower levels of the program, but with the girls' varsity head coaching position sitting open into May, Amos became concerned and threw his name into the fray. Before long he inherited a program with just three letterwinners returning from a season ago.

"I had an interest in the program because of my daughter," Amos said. "The last few years, the lower levels haven't been too successful, so I just wanted to get involved in the junior high. When they didn't fill the job into May, I had the indication that they didn't have a lot of applicants so that raised my level of concern."

But with the position came a change in coaching philosophy.

"You have to be a little more patient," Amos said about coaching girls. "You have to temper the intensity as a coach. But the level of play of the girls in the county has raised in the past few years."

The Blue and White ladies will be led by talented 5-foot-10 senior guard/forward Shelah Bolyard, a 3-year starter who was selected to the All-Mercer County Athletic Conference team as a junior last year and leading the Lady M's in scoring on several occasions.

The versatile senior will man every position on the court at some point in the season, and probably can expect double and triple teams from the opposition until another Mercer player steps up to take some pressure off the talented senior.

"We need some other girls to step up, be aggressive and more fundamental," Amos said.

One player that may fit into that role is Barbi Palmer, a 5-4 senior guard. The letterwinning guard will be expected to help run the offense while wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.

"Barbi is an excellent athlete and she can get people stirred up with her quickness," Amos said.

Senior Amanda Kline, a 5-8 forward, is expected to man one of the forward positions.

Vying for the two other starting positions are 5-7 senior center Devin Kelly, 5-7 junior forward Eliza Rust, 5-2 junior guard Stephanie Scheuermann, 5-6 junior forward Ashlee Highfield and Emilie Humes, a 5-2 sophomore guard.

Reynolds and Sharpsville were pinpointed by Amos as the teams to beat in AA this year.

"If we can play good team defense, use some transition and be smart offensively, we could be competitive," Amos said.

Amos is assisted by Sarah Bolyard, a former Mercer varsity player. -- By Corey J. Corbin, Allied News sports editor