Lady Blue Devils look for one more basket

WYNOT — The Wynot Lady Blue Devils will open the 2023-24 basketball campaign looking for just one more basket. Wynot fell one basket short of its ninth Class D2 State title at the end of last season, falling to Falls City Sacred Heart 33-32 in the finals at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Eighteen girls showed up for head coach Steve Wieseler’s first practice to keep the Lady Blue Devil machine chugging through another basketball season.

Seven of the players are seniors and have had a lot of experience in the four years they have suited up for Wynot. Two players on the roster are juniors, four are sophomores and five new freshmen will be looking to make their mark on the program.

Wieseler and company will be looking to make the school’s 16th trip to Lincoln since 2004 and the fifth consecutive journey south in March.

In the 15 previous trips, the Lady Blue Devils won eight championships, had four secondplace showings and won their last title in 2020.

The seniors on this year’s team are Kinslee Heimes, Kayla Pinkelman, Myrah Sudbeck, Isabelle Heimes, Annika Heimes, Allison Wieseler and Courtney Pinkelman.

The juniors are Eliza Lange and Kallie Steffen and the sophomores are Kenna Oligmueller, Jaylin Geisen, Jordan Foxhoven and Haley Wieseler.

The five freshmen are Claire Haberman, Kiera Heimes, Tiara Sudbeck, Emily Walter and Taylor Pinkelman.

Wynot is set to open the 2023-24 season and improve on last year’s 18-10 record with a trip to Bloomfield on Nov. 30.

They will entertain Winside on Dec. 1 before a showdown with highly regarded, Guardian Angels Central Catholic on Dec. 7 at home.

The Lady Blue Devils will travel to the Humphrey St. Francis Holiday Tournament after the Christmas break on Dec. 29-30.

A trip to Hartington to take on Cedar Catholic, and home dates with Bancroft-Rosalie and Ponca sandwiched around a road trip to Plainview highlight the January schedule with the Lewis & Clark Conference Tournament set for Jan. 27-Feb. 5.

A game at Class C1 Wayne followed by a home game with Hartington-Newcastle will end the regular season slate.

Wynot landed in the D2-6 Sub-District along with Howells-Dodge, Humphrey St. Francis, Wausa and Winside.