OHS girls basketball’s ‘youth movement’ going well

Opening the season 4-2, the Oakville Tigers girls basketball team’s youth movement seems to be going well. 

“We are young, so our goals are just to work on building a good foundation,” head coach Laura Bishop said. “We have two new freshmen who will get ample playing time.”

One of those freshmen, Savannah Bentrup, has made her presence felt on the court, racking up a double-double in five of her six games. Along with averaging 12 rebounds per game, Bentrup is also averaging three blocks per game for the Tigers. She scored her season-high record of 27 points in the Dec. 6 loss to Lindbergh.

So far this season, the Tigers have wins over Mehlville (53-24), Bishop DuBourg (55-14), Windsor (50-40) and Rockwood Summit (50-43). In each of Oakville’s four wins, the team has scored over 50 points. In Oakville’s two losses of the season, against Lindbergh (42-39) and Seckman (53-41), the Tigers were held under 50 points.

With eight of Oakville’s 12 players being freshmen or sophomores, the Tigers have plenty of young talent that will see the court the rest of the season.

Sophomore Alivia Schnur and freshman Katherine Steiniger are both off to nice starts. Schnur is averaging nearly 11 points per game, including a 21-point performance to open the season, while Steiniger is averaging 9.5 points per game. 

“I think we will improve every game as we have all new people stepping up to fill some big roles for our graduating seniors,” Bishop said. “Our biggest strength will also be our biggest hurdle. New people will have a lot of adjustments to make.”

While some of the younger players are seeing success, Bishop has not forgotten her seniors. They are a vital part of the Oakville program.

“The seniors will help to build on the success from last year for the younger players,” Bishop said. “Every game is going to be a learning experience for us, and we hope to just get better after every contest. We are excited for this veteran group to help build with our younger kids.”

The Tigers will next be in action on Jan. 3 against Hazelwood East. The contest will take place at 1 p.m. at Lutheran South High School, 9515 Tesson Ferry Road.