11/1/24
 
WBB: Falcons Ready For Next Step In 2024
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's basketball is ready to get the 2024-2025 season underway with renewed hope and optimism, and some key pieces back from last year's squad. The 2024 part of the year gets underway tonight, when the Falcons travel to take on CCBC Catonsville as part of the Catonsville Tip-Off Classic in Maryland this weekend.
 
Tip is scheduled for 5:00pm ET at the Jack Manley Wellness Center in Catonsville, MD. The Falcons will take on the host Cardinals in the first game of the evening. Then, tomorrow afternoon, the Falcons will take on Richard Bland College at 12:00pm ET for their second game of the weekend. There will be a video livestream available via the CCBC Catonsville Athletics YouTube channel, linked HERE.
 
Media Day 2024 Recap
Just last week, Lackawanna women's basketball gathered for its annual media day, where pictures were taken and interviews were conducted, with the big subject being what to expect ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign.
 
The Falcons were 10-14 in an up-and-down season last year. Lackawanna surged with four straight wins in early February to get themselves into playoff contention, but ultimately fell in the play-in game against Middlesex at home.
 
Lackawanna returns four of its top five scorers from last year's team, including Desiree White (Carlisle, PA) and Jayla South (Long Pond, PA), two All-Region second team selections from a year ago. White led the team with 16.9 points per game, shooting 31% from the field and pulling down four rebounds a contest. South was second on the team at 15.5 points per game, averaging 6.9 rebounds per contest and team-highs in steals (56) and blocks (36).
 
Desi was last year's main offensive threat and the leading scorer as a first-year player. White was a streaky shooter, whose scoring could come in spurts. She is ready to step up as a leader for the Falcons this season, spending the off-season working on her game and building relationships with her teammates. She spoke to us about her excitement ahead of the season.
 

 
South developed into an excellent, athletic second option as a scorer for the Falcons. South's shot developed as the year went on, but it was her slashing ability and her defensive prowess and energy that helped make her stand out a year ago. This season, she wants to develop that creativity even more, hoping to continue to develop as a smart defender and a better player. She talked about that, and her excitement ahead of this season.
 

 
Aside from South and White, Lackawanna returns Saraiah Franklin (Philadelphia, PA), a productive guard that spent a lot of time having to play "up" with some of the bigs, where she more than held her own, leading the team with ten rebounds a game, while still scoring 9.1 points per game. The Falcons are also looking for a boost down low from returner E'ternity Aiken (Wilkes-Barre, PA), who missed the final 14 games from last season because of injury. Before going down with an injury, Aiken was a force down low, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game and scoring 7.7 points per game. The Falcons are hoping she can provide some much-needed help in the paint.
 
Point guard Semaji Young (Philadelphia, PA) was a regular back-up point guard last season, scoring 4.1 points per game and putting up 35 assists in 22 appearances. Semaji will be amongst the players from last year's squad looking to step up. Also returning is sophomore guard Diamond Wilson (Baltimore, MD), and Lackawanna will also add Salote Franklin (Philadelphia, PA), sister of Saraiah, into the mix. Salote was not eligible last season, but spent time with the Falcons throughout the year as a support staffer.
 
The Falcons have a group of nine first-year players that can all see time for the Falcons this season. Sophia Summa (Dunmore, PA) was a part of the state championship squad at Dunmore HS two years ago, and she brings her talents to Lackawanna as an excellent shooting guard. Guard Alania Ortiz (Allentown, PA) has a quick burst and a knack for defense that the Falcons hope will carry them. Guard/Forward Mya Mackenzie (Allentown, PA) played at William Allen HS, while guard Jasmin Romano (East Stroudsburg, PA) comes to the Falcons from East Stroudsburg North HS. Guards Ania Crocker (Freeport, NY) and Kalea Ferguson (Harrisburg, PA) will both be looked to help give the Falcons depth, and forward Lily Cosentino (Milford, PA) comes to the Falcons from Delaware Valley HS. Guards Olivia Samuels (Brooklyn, NY) and Desireé Nales (Allentown, PA) will round out the new faces for Lackawanna this year.
 
It's all part of coach Monica Spence's hope to have fresh legs out there to play the frantic, fast-paced defense and transition game she wants her teams to implement. Now in her third season at the helm, coach Spence is excited to see what this new group can do on the floor.
 

 
Lackawanna has its usual robust schedule, and will be spending the first seven games of the season on the road. The first Region XIX game is a road contest at Essex County College on November 19^th. The first home game, period, is a Region XIX DII contest against Harcum on November 21^st. In fact, there are only two home games the entire fall semester, out of the 14 games they're playing before the new year. The other home game in that stretch is against Union on November 26^th. Aside from their region schedule, the Falcons have games with Montgomery College (MD), Jamestown CC, Niagara County CC, Herkimer County CC, SUNY Orange, Sussex, and Monroe University.