Pictured are members of the Paden City High School girls varsity basketball team. Down in numbers, the Lady Wildcats will dress seven players this season.

The new-look Wildcats only have seven players this season, that includes three upper class-men, and four freshmen, but numbers don’t deter veteran Head Coach Alan Miller and assistant Jamie Natali from putting a winner on the floor.

Coaches Miller and Natali has proven that they can overcome small numbers and still put a good product on the floor every night. However, this season with the numbers way down with only seniors Abbe Stackpole and Skyler Fulks, as well as junior Raven Fulks to mesh with four freshmen it will be hard to stack up with most teams that they will play this season.

Gone from last season’s team is Paige Leonard, Hannah Loy, and Madison Knight. Loy was the team’s top everything a year ago, while both Leonard and Knight were more than exceptional in many aspects of the game and will be missed greatly.

The Paden City Wildcats will need for their upper-classmen to take over until the freshmen can get their feet wet, and start producing. However, Abbe and Skyler have had three seasons under their belt and know the ‘Cats system well. With the additional help from Raven it will make bringing in freshmen Tanley McEldowney, McKenzie Thomas, and Brooke and Breanna Hoskins a piece of cake. Both Tanley and McKenzie were on the girls volleyball team that helped Paden City win both the Mason-Dixon and OVAC Championships as well as their sectional, regional, and the WVSSAC Class-1A state runners-up. They might be freshmen, but they don’t play like a novice basketball player.

With just seven players on the team, they will need to be in shape to help carry the load for a long season. If Abbe, Skyler, and Raven can stay healthy, and the newcomers can jell with them, there is no reason that they can’t win some games this season.

The Lady Wildcats will open the season with three games in their first week of play, starting with Hundred Dec. 3 and Valley Dec. 5 at home with tip-off scheduled at 7 p.m. They will travel to Morgantown Trinity on Dec. 6.

The projected record is 4-17.