The Lancaster High School Lady Gales basketball team is officially back in action as they tip off a brand new season, with returning leaders and future ones. The LadyGales prepare for the competition they will face this year as they open their schedule and begin the new season. Head Coach Dusty Miller has an everyday standard for the team and expects the athletes to execute it during basketball season.
“This standard consists of staying positive, having big goals and dreams, and the gift of giving. What are you giving? You can give more; every relationship matters. The last one is win your weight. This saying means make the right choices and keep swinging,” explained Miller.
Miller said that he is looking forward to the 2025-2026 season because he has several returning athletes and new up-and-coming talent.
“We have a great mix of experienced players with young players, which will make this year very exciting as a program. We continue to get better every day to reach our goal of making it to districts. You can see it every day in the gym and how these girls are working together to get better,” he said.
Assistant varsity Coach Allyson Taley´s expectation for this season is to compete at the highest level they can.
¨We have one of the toughest schedules this year that we’ve had in a very long time. We are only returning 2 starting varsity players, but have great potential. Our ultimate goal for the year is to win a district final.¨
With only 2 returning Varsity starters preseason has been a crucial time for the players to prepare. LHS senior Molly Stedman said that she has spent extra time in the gym and with her team so that her final high school season will have the best outcome.
“I feel excitement but also some bitter sweetness. Every game is one game closer to the last one. I feel proud of how far I’ve made it and how my teammates have grown. Every game and practice carries a deeper meaning than just a game and just practice. They have made me who I am today. We have really grown and have become a family,” she said.
Another senior, Harper Allen, said that she is experiencing a range of emotions as the new season gets underway.
“We have some big goals and have a lot of talent on the team so I am super excited to be a part of it. It is crazy that it’s my last season but I know it’s going to be the best one yet, our team is very close and that is what makes it fun. We are all so talented and when we all work together, big things happen,” said Allen.
Collectively, the Coaches and athletes have set their caps on achieving significant goals going forward.
“The biggest goal my teammates and I have is to make it to the district championship. Other individual goals I have are to be a leader on this team and to help my teammates become better people and players,” said Stedman.
Allen added that the championship is something they all want.
“One of our big goals is to get to the district finals and win it. It’s a pretty big goal but I know we can do it,¨ she said.
LHS sophomore Koewynn Rouge, who is going into her second year playing on the varsity squad, said there are some major indications that the team will have a successful season.
“I’m really pushing for team success this season. This year I’ve been put into more of a leadership role and I enjoy it. The pressure has built up but I’m so excited. A lot of us are proving ourselves as a younger team. We want to win a district final. The team’s relationship is better than ever. Truly, I feel so close to them and I count on them. We all put everything into this team and it shows,” said Rouge.
LHS sophomore Izzy Palmer said that she, like Rouge, has witnessed positive growth among the team and wants to earn more playing time for herself.
“The goals [I set] for myself this season are to be a starter for varsity and get minutes. I feel like the relationship between the team is growing; there are a lot of underclassmen, more than upperclassmen, and I think our relationship is growing and getting better as the days go on,” said Palmer.
Leadership, hard work, team unity, and experienced seniors seem to be strong tactics as the team heads into regular play. The Lady Gales take on Groveport Madison this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at home.
