Newton girls basketball head coach Jake Bennett says practices leading up to the start of his second season have benefited from a large majority of last year’s team returning this winter. Five seniors who played in over 20 games last season are back for the Cardinals, and  last season’s leading scorer and rebounder Tori White is also back.

“Because they are back, they know how practice is supposed to be. The Intensity level standard that we have. It doesn’t t feel like we are at square one like last year when it was a new program, new coach, new experience.”

The Cardinals graduated just two seniors last season in Estella Allen and Haylie Ryan. The duo combined to start in seven games, with Ryan playing in all 22 games last season and Allen playing in 12. 

The Newton Girls Basketball team will have their home opener next Tuesday, at home against Chariton at 6 p.m. The game can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS and on the KRLS3 stream.