The Upper Perkiomen girls basketball team should be more competitive than head coach Pete Sovia initially expected.  Sovia, who recently watched his team compete in two preseason tournaments, said the 2014-15 Indians could go nine deep.

                On Friday and Saturday, 11 different players who signed up for the team competed in two games each at the Scheitrum Basketball Classic at Emmaus High School and the Pottsgrove Basketball Booster Tournament, respectively.  Though the Indians went 1-3, Sovia said they played extremely well.

                "This team will only get better," the coach said. 

                Overall, their defensive performed well and the offense showed promise in spurts, according to senior Holly Graber.  "We never gave up," she said. "We always hustled. We shared the ball very well on offense."

                On Friday, the team lost to the host Hornets (38-22) and Spring-Ford (35-23), the defending PIAA Class 4A champion. The next day, they defeated Governor Mifflin (29-19) and lost to Nazareth (48-19) at the West Pottsgrove Elementary School.

                "I was hoping to use these games to build a competitive spirit," he said. "And figure out how we are going to compete in the Pioneer Athletic Conference." 

                The coach liked the way his players competed. However, Sovia said they committed too many reach fouls on defense, and that must improve on their ball handling skills.  The team will surely focus on those deficiencies when practice officially begins on Nov. 17, according to the coach.

                Rather than focus on the results, Sovia said he hoped to utilize the tournaments for team building and to allow the players to round into basketball shape.  "We're poised to have an excellent season," he said.

                Sovia expressed optimism about the upcoming season due to a large number of potential players. He said 24 girls signed up to play the sport this season.

                Aubrey Gibbs called the competition a key opportunity to become acclimated with several new teammates.  "Obviously we lost some key players to graduation," said Gibbs, a senior guard.

                A handful of freshmen received significant playing time for the Indians. According to Sovia, one or two could receive significant playing time during the regular season.

                One of those impactful ninth graders could include Bridget Mayza. During the tournaments, Mayza filled in for Gibbs at point guard.

                According to Gibbs, she and Mayza could co-exist on the floor together, and that either one could contribute at shooting guard.  "Our speed will be a major factor," Gibbs said. "We've got to be able to use it."