By Steve Bigham

The Lady Lions are trying to make a bet with its coach, Bill Girard. The terms of the deal state that if the team goes undefeated, Girard has to shave his head.

So far, the teacher/coach has not agreed to the offer. After all, his teams have lost just four games over the past three seasons, and the popular coach isn’t sure whether or not his hair will grow back.

“We hope to have another good year. We only had one loss last year,” said Girard, who admits his club may be hard pressed to repeat those results. Several talented players have moved on to the high school.

Nevertheless, Girard always seems to get the most out of his players and he has plenty of athletes looking to continue the winning tradition. The speed and talent is there. All that’s missing is the size and rebounding ability.

“We don’t have a group of girls that can clear the boards with no problem,” he said. “We may have to use our guards to help with the rebounding and that may hurt our transition game.”

Girard will count on seven experienced eighth graders to handle the load, and a lot of it will fall on the shoulders of forward Kelley Haines, who started several games a year ago. She can score and she can rebound and has a sweet jump shot. Also returning with experience is Julie Iwanicki, who Girard calls an all-around player.

Tori Filler is vastly improved over last season and has demonstrated a nice touch on her shot whileTrina Ramsdell has great speed, is a good passer, and is one of the team’s top defenders.

At 5-10, Stephanie Logan is Newtown’s tallest player and will be a force inside. Erica Carino will also use her size to clear the boards, while Kaitlyn Murphy is a solid ball handler and an aggressive defender.

Newcomers this season are the versatile Sarah Whalley, Kate Fenton Erin Murdoch, who has a strong first step to the hoop, the speedy Stacey Gordon and Keri Frawley, a fine outside shooter.

The middle school now has two teams - an 8th-grade team and a 6th- and 7th-grade team. Seventh graders Ashley LaRocque, Meghan Kelley, Emily Nezvesky and Courtney Brunton are all expected to see some time on the eighth grade squad.