SARANAC — A season ago, Saranac went 16-2 in the regular season, including a 15-1 record in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference, but the season didn't feel complete.
The reason for that feeling was that the Chiefs fell just short of capturing the Section VII Class B title. Saranac fell to Northeastern Clinton in the championship game, 41-39. The Chiefs had multiple chances with 20 seconds remaining to tie the game but came up short.
With the loss of point guard and leading scorer Megan Bowman to graduation, Saranac still had the feeling it could be a special, but how special it has been was truly a surprise to many on the team.
The Chiefs have managed a perfect regular season, going 18-0 in the regular season and 15-0 in the CVAC.
"Since that loss the seniors have really been focused," Saranac coach Tim Newell said. "Getting to the sectional finals and winning has been their goal ever since.
"We didn't expect to go undefeated. We knew it was going to be tough to replace Megan and we have sort of done that as a team with many players making up for what she brought to the team."
One of the biggest reasons for the team's success this season has been the leadership from its seniors. The Chiefs have four seniors on their squad, three of which are returning starters.
"They really understand exactly what I want on the floor," Newell said. "Having Steph (Linder) and Alisha (Ducatte) really makes my job easier. They are like coaches on the floor."
Linder has had a really consistent season for Saranac this season, averaging 14.8 points per game and only had two games where she didn't finish in double figures.
Ducatte has doubled her points per game from a season ago and is now scoring 12.2.
Katie Gates, the third returning senior starter, is averaging 5.3 points per game and has had four double-digit scoring games.
"Our goal from the start of the season was to win sectionals and get as far as we can," Ducatte said. "We got there last year and losing was a big letdown. As a senior, this is our last year and we want to get as far as we can."
The Chiefs have been the second-best scoring team in the CVAC this season, trailing only AuSable Valley, scoring 51.28 points per game on average. Defensively, though, Saranac is the top team in the conference, giving up just 26.83 points per game.
The next best team gives up nearly 10 points more per game.
"Our coach always tells us that offense wins games, but defense wins championships," senior Morgan Maye said. "The majority of our practices are drills that work on our defense.
"It's defense all the time."
"The past few games we have not been up to par offensively," Ducatte said. "Defense is always a major priority. Our offense will come, but defense is always our main focal point. It helps us win when we're not having a good offensive game."
Despite so many returning starters, the Chiefs as a whole were still a very inexperienced team at the start of the season. Saranac returned just five players from last year's 17-3 squad and brought seven new players into the fold.
"I was hoping to go .500 at least this season," Maye said. "We were so young. I didn't expect to be horrible, but I definitely didn't expect to go undefeated.
"Last year I thought we were better than we would be this year."
One position that was missing from this year's team was point guard, and freshman Kayla Napper has stepped in to handle that responsibility.
"We've had a lot of younger players step up tremendously," Linder said. "Kayla Napper I will give 100 percent credit. She's stepped up in a big way."
"Steph and Alisha are our main leaders," Maye said. "I feel I've stepped up this year from last year and Kayla Napper has stepped up as well. They all want to win and I feel we want it more than the other teams."
The Chiefs will obviously be the favorite heading into the Section VII Class B playoffs this season, but they will have to get through a handful of strong teams in their class.
"We've got be get ready," Newell said. "Having a week layoff is sometimes not a good thing. We are going to need to bring our A game because now we are in a one game season.
"There are a lot of good teams, but we'll definitely be ready."
"We'll work hard even with a bye," Linder said. "We will practice as hard as we can and hopefully get another banner on the wall."
Saranac will take on the winner of the Peru/Plattsburgh matchup on Friday at 7:30 p.m.; the site has yet to be announced.
Police: 5-time Champ Johnny Tapia Found Dead
Native Americans' Olympic Medals Displayed in DC
Manning on Target at First Practice
Raw Video: Olympic Torch Relay Begins in England
Raw Video: Olympic Torch Passed to London
Selig: Oakland Move Might Be Considered
McNamee: Clemens, Canseco Had Steroids Talk
Laurie Fine: My Life Has Been Destroyed
MLB: Mets Get 2013 All Star Game
Bernie Fine's Wife to Sue ESPN
Kyrie Irving Named NBA's Top Rookie
McNamee Says He Gave Clemens Steroids in 1998
Phelps Looks to Add to Medal Haul in London
Raw Video: McNamee Arrives at Clemens Trial
Bulls Bounced From Playoffs
Former NFL Star Junior Seau Found Dead
NFL Suspends 4 Players for Saints' Bounties
Reigning U.S. Champ Eying Olympic Gold in London
Knicks Fans Disappointed in Stoudemire
