Jags led by Swopshire twins

The Fort Zumwalt West girls basketball team has had nine months to think about its last-second, three-point loss to Hazelwood Central in the Class 5 quarterfinals.

But the Jaguars aren't waiting until March to get a chance to get that bad taste our of their mouths since they will be in the biggest, baddest girls holiday tournament on this side of Missouri. Zumwalt West will be part of the Visitation Christmas Tournament and could run across the Hawks, who played in the tournament final in 2008.

"I'd like to thank (Paul Boschert) for spending time to increase our schedule," said Jaguars coach Monica Tritz. "We'll be lucky if we're seeded in the top 10 at (Visitation). I've told the girls, with the increased schedule, it will be tough to get to 20 wins. But I'm happy with what we've done. This will be a hard year for us."

The Jaguars lost three of five starters from a team that finished 24-5 and was unbeaten (5-0) in the Gateway Athletic Conference South. Graduates Anna Hackman, Megan Venneman and Raylyn Nuss combined to average 28 points per game, which was more than half of the team's offensive output.

"It's a different world for us," Tritz said. "Our outside shooting is missing."

Talent isn't though. Twins Janna and Jasmine Swopshire will be double trouble for opponents this season. Tritz said that Janna likes to bang inside, while Jasmine is more of a finesse player. Jasmine scored 16 points and was 8-of-10 from the field in the quarterfinals last year.

"They're completely different players," Tritz said of the twins. "They make for great balance in our high-low game. Where they're alike is they're both good outside shooters."

Point guard Kelsey Jones, guard Devon Anzalone and sophomore post Marina Laramie round out the starting 5. Jones played in 20 games and averaged 5.5 points last year. Anzalone was third on the team with 11 3-point baskets and Laramie played in the post on the JV.

Jones missed several weeks last season with a stress fracture. Tritz said her commitment to returning to the lineup has made the graduation of Nuss easier to handle.

"Kelsey's a great slasher, whereas Raylyn was a great 3-point shooter," Tritz said. "Kelsey finds the gaps in the defense and we're looking forward to her running the team."

Laramie needs to mature more as a player, but Tritz said she thinks she could start for the rest of the teams in the conference.

"Marina benefits from going up against the twins every day," Tritz said.

Sophomore Paige Westbrook will play guard. Juniors Bri Fischer, Dee Simpson and Kayley Weinberg come off the bench. As do sophomores Kelsey Kingsborough and Kylie Ellison.

Tritz said it will be hard for the Jaguars to repeat as conference champions because the rest of the field has caught up. She mentioned Holt and Zumwalt South as top competitors.

"Our girls always strive to win the (GAC)," Tritz said. "This year will be tougher, but I'm more worried about district. I'd still like to be working in March. We might be a year away from state - maybe not."

(Edit:Ruby)