'99-00 SCHEDULE

Dec. 3 -- at Lock Haven       7 -- Jamestown       8 -- at Grove City       13 -- at Slippery Rock       15 -- Warren JFK       20 -- Hickory       22 -- Laurel       30 -- West Middlesex Jan. 3 -- at Sharon       6 -- Grove City       10 -- Slippery Rock       13 -- at Hickory       17 -- Sharon       20 -- at Greenville       24 -- at Sharpsville       27 -- Mercer       31 -- at Kennedy Christian Feb. 3 -- at Wilmington       7 -- Greenville       10 -- Sharpsville       14 -- at Mercer       17 -- Kennedy Christian       21 -- Wilmington

By The Herald Sports Staff

Continued progress is the goal of second-year Reynolds High girls basketball coach Justin Magestro, and he feels his club is prepared to pay the price toward achieving that end result.

The Lady Raiders are coming off a 6-16 overall, 4-6 MCAC-AA campaign but return a quartet of letterwinners and a handful of newcomers intent on making an immediate impact.

"Our biggest strength right now is we have a great group of kids who are hard workers,'' Magestro related. "That's our biggest strength.

"Defense is probably the focus of this team this year,'' Magestro continued. "We'll look to be defensive-minded. We feel that, if we take care of the defensive end, the offensive end will follow.

"Our main goal is to have a winning season,'' he emphasized.

That goal will be achieved contingent upon the play of the foursome of 5-foot-11 senior post Crystal McGarvey (who averaged 9 points and 9 rebounds per game a year ago), 5-8 senior forward and three-year letterwinner Curtina Beblo (7 ppg., 6.4 rpg.), 5-9 junior shooting guard Kristen Micsky, who emerged as the club's leading scorer last season, averaging 11 points per outing, and 5-7 junior swingman Cathy Woods. McGarvey and Micsky are two-year letterwinners, and Micsky is a state-caliber high jumper in track.

"Our two seniors are great leaders, especially in their work-ethic,'' Magestro said in praise of McGarvey and Beblo.

Newcomers looking to lend depth include a trio of juniors in forwards Jamie Saul and Erin Fleet, 5-7 and 5-8, respectively, and 5-4 point guard Pam Cromie, and a pair of sophomores in 5-2 point guard Katie McLaughlin and 5-8 swingman Christina Reed.

"Probably our biggest weakness is we need to do a better job of focusing,'' Magestro. "Just the day-in, day-out things that you have to do every day at practice. ... Our focus level is not where it needs to be yet.''

Another shortcoming, according to Magestro, is the numbers game not necessarily related to the scoreboard, although every bit as vital.

"We're a small school and we don't have big numbers,'' Magestro said regarding his 15-player (varsity and junior varsity) roster. We don't have 20 kids, and that's definitely a weakness.''

"But,'' he later reiterated, "defense is the main emphasis in my program. We try to work from the defensive end and feel that everything else will fall into place if we take care of the defensive end.''

Magestro also feels his club should see steady improvement as the season progresses, and forecasted the MCAC-AA race thusly:

"There should be a lot of parity this year. Kennedy is a class program -- it's a great program year in and year out -- and I'd definitely give them the leading edge.''

"Basically,'' Magestro summarized, "my whole take on the whole season is: The girls have put in a lot of hours and have worked hard -- extremely hard -- since last season. If they continue to work hard and become more focused, we'll have a fun and successful season.''

Magestro said Bob Chamberlain will serve as his top assistant and head junior varsity coach, while Ken Laaks and Max Shellenbarger, both of whom worked with the junior high program, also will be assisting on the varsity level.

"We have a very dedicated and hard-working coaching staff, which is another one of our strengths,'' Magestro praised. "We've added a couple people committed to the girls and the girls respond to them.''