Bulldogs set to start season

Friday, December 9, 2011

Whoever put the schedule together for Division II girls basketball didn’t do Bedford High School any favors.

Or did they?

The Bulldogs open the season Tuesday at home, which is always a nice thing, but the team they’ll be facing is Souhegan, last year’s undefeated champions.

And to make things more interesting, Bedford will play its second game at home Friday against Oyster River, the team that knocked the Bulldogs from the playoffs a year ago.

“We start with a bang,” said coach Sue Thomas, who takes over the varsity team after serving as an assistant the last three years. “I think it helps because they know they have to be game ready the very first game. They have to be ready to go.”

And it’s not like the Bulldogs have no varsity experience.

Bedford returns eight players, including two seniors and five sophomores who got plenty of playing time for a team that finished 11th in the Division II standings.

“I’m really excited,” said captain Niky Marinelli, one of two four-year varsity players. “It’s been a learning process and I think that for this year, we’ve worked our way up.”

Marinelli is confident that Bedford has improved, thanks to plenty of action in summer and fall leagues, where the Bulldogs got a chance to play against Division I and II opponents.

“Throughout those games, we handled ourselves pretty well,” she said. “I’m pretty confident with us this year.”

Thomas has made changes in her first preseason, including a switch on offense. But although the players have had to make adjustments, they’re still moving in the right direction.

“They have a great attitude and they work really hard,” Thomas said. “We did change the offense completely. Last week was about getting everyone on the same page. This week has been more about conditioning and getting game ready. They’ve been excited and working hard.”

Bedford opens the season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against Souhegan.