Back for his second season at the helm of the Evanston High School girls’ basketball team, head coach Roy Barker said he’s confident this year’s iteration of the Lady Devils can build on the late-season momentum exhibited by the team in 2023-24.

Evanston finished with a 3-20 record last season, though all three wins came against conference opponents, a statistic that will hopefully bode well this year. Practice began the week of Thanksgiving, with the first tournament of the year scheduled for this weekend at Riverton.

“Practice has been really positive,” Barker said. “The kids are really enjoying the things I’m asking them to do. The intensity’s good, they’re being very physical and giving a lot of effort in practice. We’ve definitely improved over the summer — a lot of the girls put a lot of time into their shooting and offensive skills — so I’m really pleased with how we came into camp.”

Once again, the Lady Devils will be light on senior leadership — Kiernynn Simmons is the lone senior on the roster — though with 10 juniors, there will be plenty of upperclassmen to provide support for the younger players.

“We’ve only have one senior on the team this year — Kiernynn Simmons,” Barker said. “She and juniors Emma Lonsway and Braelynn Morrison were voted as team captains. All three bring a lot of positivity and commitment to the program.”

Lonsway led the team in scoring last season with 5.0 points per game; she also led the team in assists (1,2 per game) and steals (1.8). Morrison averaged 2.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while Simmons averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Other juniors on the roster include Madison Brown, Dannon Kohler, Evie Stahl, Cheznee Mackey, Cassidy Coley, Emme Fessler, Kielynn Blea and Emily Swensen.

A handful of sophomores are also expected to contribute, including a few who saw varsity minutes as freshmen. Cassie Barker, Violet Cook and Annalee West all saw significant playing time as freshmen, with Barker leading the team in rebounds, with 4.2 per game, and West averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

“I think we’re going to be a lot more competitive this season,” Barker said. “Last season was a learning curve, especially early. But I think our expectations are rising in practice, and I think our expectations for this season are a lot bigger. But until we play a game, we don’t really know where we’re at, so we’ll see.”

Asked what he’s liked out of his team in practice so far, Barker said the speed his team is showing on the court.

“We’re playing a lot faster — we’re pushing the ball better, and playing with more tempo, which is something we’ve struggled with in the past,” Barker explained. “We’re a lot more connected defensively than we have been.”

Barker went on to say the Lady Devils played well during summer ball, and he was impressed with the amount of work the team put in during the offseason.

“This summer was good — we won close to half our games, and we played a lot of good teams,” Barker said. “That was definitely a positive.”

The Lady Devils open the season this weekend with a tournament in Riverton, and will square off against conference rival Star Valley Thursday in the tournament opener.

“I think we’re going to play well in Riverton — the girls’ expectations will definitely be up,” Barker said. “We expect to go in and win. We just need to get better each game and each day, that’s the focus.”