LYNN — After a strong season last year, when Lynn English’s girls basketball team went 11-10 and qualified for the Division 1 state tournament, the Lady Bulldogs are back to work on Goodridge Street.
In her third season, head coach Sydney Brennan is looking forward to another year in charge.
“We lost a couple of seniors from last year’s team, but we did have a young team. …We’re just getting ready and tweaking new things from last year that we want to implement,” said Brennan, a former Masconomet and Bishop Fenwick assistant coach. “I hope that our team recognizes — and our coaches recognize — that it’s definitely possible to make the playoffs and win games.”
There was a recent increase in tryout numbers, which Brennan was happy to see.
“We had a big show-out for tryouts this year. We have two full rosters for JV (junior varsity) and varsity, which is really nice because each year, we’ve grown with how many kids are coming out for the team,” she said. “Tryouts were great. We got a lot of new girls and a lot of girls who are upperclassmen who didn’t try out in the past who made teams. At practices, we’re gearing up. We have a scrimmage today (Tuesday) and we jump right into it because we have a game on Friday, so game prep has already started.”
The Lady Bulldogs sport a strong senior class, supported by a sophomore group that saw plenty of minutes last winter.
“I’m expecting big things from my seniors this year. We have Jayleen Novas-Rivera, Maria Perry, Dayana Hios, Ava Jones, and a new senior this year in Zully Figueroa — this is her first year playing for English. I’m expecting them to step up and be leaders. They’re all great basketball players, so they have a big opportunity,” Brennan said. “My sophomores, this year, were a huge addition to the team last year when they were freshmen. I had them starting at points, specifically Jayliana (Concepcion) and Aleney (Perez). Now that they’re sophomores, I’m expecting them to step up as well.”
As for what catapulted English into the state tournament last season, look no further than defense, according to Brennan.
“I think, last year, our defense was one of our biggest opportunities to show our strengths. This year, right off the bat, we’re really working on setting that defense up to work for the new players [and] the returners, so when they get in the game, they’re able to fly around the court and get steals,” Brennan said. “Defense is a big focus for us this year. We’ve been working on shooting and getting our shots off quickly, which is something we’ve been trying to strengthen during practice.”
Qualifying for the state tournament is goal No. 1 again.
“Every year, our goal should be to make the playoffs. I think we have a really, really strong opportunity this year where we could compete and win our conference,” Brennan said. “We had a really good six-game win streak last year and I think with the foundation that we built, we can continue growing from that and, hopefully, that’s something we can reach.”
Now in her third year, Brennan said she’s getting more comfortable with building the program.
“I’m lucky that my coaching staff is coming with me again this year, which is huge,” said Brennan, a former Fenwick guard and state champion (2016). “Overall, we have a set foundation and are continuing to grow that and foster a strong, stable environment for the season. I’m really working on the girls to get better, but also keeping our academics up so we’re in really good shape for the season and can keep progressing and growing in our skills.”
The Lady Bulldogs begin Friday when they travel to Somerville for a 6 p.m. clash.
