LEWISTOWN – Most first-year coaches spend the majority of the season getting to know the ins and outs of their teams, but considering his familiarity with the Indian Lake girls basketball program having coached the junior varsity team, Tim McMahon has decided to hit the court running in his first season as head varsity coach.

“We are changing some stuff, but they seem to be catching on,” McMahon said. “It’s a transition, but they seem to be taking it pretty well.”

With seven returning letterwinners as his disposal, McMahon chose to shake things up a bit for the 2012-2013 campaign by installing a new offense. “We are going to run the motion offense (instead of the set offense),” he said. “We are going to try to get up and down the floor. Basically, we want to push the ball up the floor.”

McMahon said he decided to change the offensive scheme after taking into consideration his team’s strengths.

“I think we have pretty good quickness and shooting,” he said. “We are pretty athletic overall, so that’s why I wanted to run the motion offense.”

The seven returning letterwinners being asked to learn a new offense this season include seniors Mikaela Oyer, Claire Maier, Leslie Reichert and Jordan Keckler; juniors Haley Boberg and Allison Knief; and sophomore Sydney Miller.

McMahon said he will being leaning on leadership from his seniors, especially Oyer.

“She is a four-year starter, and she is getting looks from colleges,” he said. “She has to be our go-to person.”

Newcomers to the varsity squad are juniors Ashley Franks and Hannah Dye, sophomore Taylor Dixon and freshman Lindsey Chismar.

“I feel with our offense, a lot of girls can step up and score for us,” McMahon said. “I think we can go seven or eight deep.”

DeGRAFF – With a half dozen players back from the 2011-2012 squad that finished 7-14, Riverside coach Jeremy Allen will be relying on experience as the Pirates look to return to their winning ways this season.

Returning to the court for Riverside are seniors Morgan Robison (guard), Mara Ledley (guard) and Karli Castle (forward) as well as sophomores Monica Hurley (guard), Brooke Hickey (guard) and Chelsea Giles (forward).

“I have six returning letterwinners from last year, so they know what to expect and how to handle adversity, ” Allen said. “It’s just a matter of executing.”

Newcomers to the varsity squad include junior Elizabeth McGowen (center), sophomore Molly Harshbarger (forward) and freshmen Taylor Stevens (guard) and Aubrey Stephens (forward).

While last season was a struggle at times for Riverside, the Pirates did start to show flashes of coming together as a squad as the year went on, and Allen is hopeful his core group of returners will build on that late-season success.

“We struggled at the start last year, but we got some momentum going toward the end,” he said. “Hopefully, that momentum carries on into this season.”

If the Pirates are to turn things around in 2012-2013, Allen said the keys will be limiting turnovers, rebounding and shooting a higher percentage as a team.

“Hanging on to the basketball and shooting are our two biggest weaknesses,” he said. “In the past with this group, we haven’t handle a lot of pressure very well, but we’ve gotten better. With our shooting, we are either really good or we are really bad. We have to be more consistent in the shooting aspect.”