Fall sports have slowed the progress, but the Chagrin Falls Tigers have high expectations for the 2024-2025 season.
The Tigers return three scorers and four others with varsity experience.
“We haven’t had everyone in the gym yet due to the success of our fall sports,” said Chagrin Falls coach Brittany Laseak. “We were missing eight student-athletes to soccer and cross country. Once we get everyone in the gym, all the pieces will come into place. Our freshmen are getting lots of reps right now and with a small group, there has been plenty of conditioning. We have the potential to be fast and difficult to keep up with.”
The Tigers, who finished 15-10 overall and 6-2 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division last season, are ahead of the game as they return the bulk of their scoring from last season.
“There is a lot of offensive firepower in our lineup,” Laseak said. “If teams try to key on one or two players, we have other girls that can step up and finish. Our conditioning and speed are better this season, so we hope to play up-tempo with quick scoring and pressure defense.”
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Chagrin Falls already is facing some adversity as the Tigers have yet to have their full lineup on the court in the preseason.
“We will be almost two weeks behind everyone else once we get our entire team into the gym,” Laseak said. “We have to learn very quickly in order to have everything installed in time for the start of the season. We have a strong freshman class, but they lack experience, so there will be a learning curve for them.”
The good news is the Tigers have a pair of All-Ohioans to lean on.
Senior Lilly Stukus, a 5-foot-8 guard/forward, was named All-Ohio, second-team all-district, and was the CVC Player of the Year for the Chagrin Division last season after dropping 15.7 points per game with 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 assists per contest. She also drained 45 3-pointers.
“Lilly came in late from cross country, but she looks so strong this season,” Laseak said. “She’s known as a shooter, but she has gotten much stronger in the paint. Lilly brings positivity and leadership to the floor. She is ready to do whatever it takes to help her team succeed.”
Sophomore Avery Russell, a 5-foot-8 guard/forward, was also named All-Ohio after she scored 13 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 assists. She shot 35 percent from behind the arc with 38 3-pointers made.
“Avery had a stellar freshman season and is looking to build on that after a successful offseason,” Laseak said. “She has a gorgeous outside shot, uses her speed to score in transition, and she can finish off the drive. Avery has gotten stronger and faster since last season, which has helped with the finish through contact and extending her shooting range.”
Sophomore Abby Kay, a 5-foot-3 point guard, is Chagrin’s third returning starter.
She earned honorable mention All-CVC honors last winter after averaging 6.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.6 steals per game with 19 made 3-pointers.
“Abby Kay is tough as nails,” Laseak said. “She plays through everything on offense, handles contact, handles pressure, and can score inside and outside. Defensively, she gets under your skin. She is persistent, consistent, and refuses to get beat.”
Molley Wheatley and Abby Coy round out the projected starting lineup.
Wheatley is a 5-foot-7 freshman guard.
“Molly is a ridiculous athlete,” Laseak said. “I’ve coached a lot of athletic players, but Molly could probably play any sport you put her in. She is strong, fierce, and can finish through traffic. She plays gutsy and determined on defense.”
Coy is a 5-foot-6 senior guard/forward who missed last season with a knee injury.
“She has worked incredibly hard to return to sports, rehabbing all throughout the season and made her debut in summer league,” Laseak said. “As a sophomore, she ran the point guard position, but now we have greater flexibility with where we can put her. She’s vocal, smart, and is great at motivating her teammates.”
Three seniors, a junior, and four freshmen will provide the Tigers with depth.
Caroline Lynch, a 5-foot-9 forward, Emma Thatcher, a 5-foot-4 guard, and Mia Sluder, a 5-foot-8 forward, are the seniors.
“Caroline Lynch is a coach’s player. She is given a task, and she does everything in her ability to complete it and to do it well. Caroline is the definition of a senior leader. She puts in the hard work and leads by example, but she is also vocal and helps her teammates get it right. She will likely start at the 5 or be one of the first subs off the bench,” Laseak said. “Emma is a talented lacrosse player. Her speed and ability to change direction is incredibly helpful at the point guard position. Emma has come into the preseason looking very strong and has been doing a great job of directing the floor. She’s so smart and a tremendous leader.”
Lauren Sutliff is a junior guard and Petyon Pruce is a 5-foot-10 freshman forward with plenty of potential.
“I remember Peyton coming to our youth camps and clinics from second grade on,” Laseak said. “She is a player that is coachable and invests in the team. Peyton gives us depth at the forward spot and has the ability to be an inside/outside player.”
Freshman Clarke Hopkins, Gabby Byrne, and Olivia Kruse also made a good first impression throughout the preseason.
Hopkins is a 5-foot-9 guard/forward, Byrne is a 5-foot-7 guard, and Kruse is a 5-foot-11 guard/forward.
“Clarke can swing between the guard and forward spots. She has a nice shot and can play strong and aggressive on defense,” Laseak said. “Gabby is quick and can finish at the rim. She has a great first step and the ability to read the floor. Her shot is fluid and has beautiful rotation on it. She’s going to be an outstanding point guard. Olivia’s height gives us a major advantage on the perimeter. She takes away passing lanes and she’s an effective shot blocker. Olivia gave us quality minutes this summer and was a difficult matchup for other teams.”
The Tigers certainly have the talent and depth to make some noise during the 2024-2025 season, nothing will come easily.
They play in a challenging conference filled with competitive teams and talented players.
“Our team goals for this season are to win a CVC title and to win a district championship,” Laseak said. “Richmond Heights returns almost their entire team this season and they play tough. Adding Perry to our division makes this task all the more difficult. We don’t have to play a perfect game, but we have to play together in order to make a run in the CVC. We’re not sure what the restructuring of the postseason will look like for us just yet but making it to districts last year was a good start for us. It was a valuable learning experience for our team, and we hope to be more successful this season.”
Chagrin’s season hinges on the Tigers jelling together and having a short memory when things don’t go well.
“We need to learn quickly and have a ‘next play’ mentality,” Laseak said. “Our inexperience could be a disadvantage if we get hung up on what goes wrong, or, it could make us fearless because we don’t know any better and we are confident in our ability, not fearful of what another team can do. Every play and every game we need to give maximum effort. Everyone has the capability to contribute on offense and defense; we need to buy in and do this all together.”
