Cotter girls basketball is off to a 5-3 start and are 4-1 in the conference, but their record does not show the potential that this team has. Their losses have come in close games against some good teams.

Key returners include guard Gabby Bowlin, Jane Koll, Olivia Flanagan, Josie Huelskamp and Isabelle Nothrop.   Bowlin is back after suffering an ACL tear last season and was Cotter’s leading scorer prior to injury last year.   Koll has the ability to rebound and score in the paint and Flanagan, Huelskamp, and Northrop give the Ramblers energy in the backcourt.

One challenge the Ramblers will face is giving up size to most of their opponents.

The Ramblers are bringing back a lot of talent but also lost some key players to graduation in Mikala Nelton and Kirsten Weifenbach. The Ramblers are still trying to figure out how to fill those roles.

“We are struggling to replace those two players right now” said Ramblers coach Pat Bowlin.”Our rebounding needs to get better and we need to find more rebounders on this team.”

The Ramblers have been doing very well forcing turnovers but are still looking for ways to turn those into points on the other end. They have been shooting the 3 well and will need to continue to shoot well in order to beat some of the tougher teams they play this season.

Cotter has one of their toughest schedules in several years with many strong non-conference opponents. Cotter has big games against Kasson-Mantorville in the WSU holiday tournament and also plays Kenyon-Wanamingo at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester on December 23. They also have a tough conference schedule with games against Rushford-Peterson, P-E-M, and Caledonia but Coach Bowlin feels the Ramblers are capable of beating anyone.

Although there are many familiar names on the team this year, the Ramblers also have a lot of newcomers to the program this year as well as some playing their first season on varsity.

“I think we will have a strong team because we have a lot of returning players as well as young talented players.” said senior Olivia Flanagan.”I think we will have a good year and am excited to see how we can do.”

The Ramblers have put in a lot of work this past off season and are now hoping for it to pay off on the court.

“It should be a fun season! We have put in a lot of effort and we have many talented players. I think we are all excited for what the rest of this season holds!” said senior Allison Beyerstedt.

The Ramblers return to action this Friday when they play Kenyon-Wanamingo at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester at 12:30.