The goal is simple for the Marian Catholic girls’ basketball team - keep the championship momentum going.

The Fillies enter the 2023-24 season looking to capture their third straight District 11 championship.

Marian once again figures to be in contention this season for a 2A championship.

Especially since it returns its two leading scorers from a season ago in Carly Minchhoff (12.35 points per game) and Frankie Martinelli (9.64 ppg). The two seniors and this season’s captains for the Fillies also combined for 53 three-pointers last season.

“We’re obviously excited to have our two leading scorers back, but also our leading rebounder in Minchhoff, and our leader in steals last year in Martinelli. Both are captains for us this year, and both have taken that next step and have become the leaders of our team,” said Marian head coach Damian Fritz. “That is going to be important for us; that they continue to grow as leaders for us on and off the court. We have a lot of incoming freshmen coming in this season, so we need strong leadership at the top to help them grow and develop, which in turn grows the program, which is always our ultimate goal.”

Helping out Minchhoff and Martinelli will be returners Addison Fritz (6.63 ppg) and Aliya Tikhtova (2.40 ppg). Fritz and Tikhtova have both added some new wrinkles to their individual games that will help bolster the Fillies’ attack.

“Tikhtova has looked great all offseason. She has battled a bunch of injuries through her career, and this was really the first summer where she was fully healthy and she looks good,” said Fritz. “Addison Fritz has also worked on putting together the whole game. I think she will have a more well-rounded game this season, and she has also worked hard on her outside shot as well.”

Other Fillies expected to see court time are Deanna Pugh, Emily Carone, Olivia Thomas, Gianna Corrado and Carly Hasara. Olivia Serfass is also a newcomer to the Marian team this season, and brings significant varsity experience to the program.

“We have a good mix of experience and young talent, but we’re fortunate to have some players on our team that have been a part of two district titles, playing in the Schuylkill League playoffs and state playoff games,” said Fritz. “Again, we are always looking to take the next step and grow, and the group is committed to that.”

So, with some new faces in key places, what will the 2023-24 Fillies look like on both sides of the floor this season?

Marian annually under Fritz has looked to push the ball on offense, and create havoc with different pressure looks on the defensive end.

“Defensively, we’re still going to pressure. It’s going to look a little different this season than in past years, but we’re always going to pressure. We have athletic players that can do a number of different things,” said Fritz. “Then on offense, we’re going to look to run and get wide and space the floor. I think something that we will be able to do this season is get the ball inside more. That is something we have worked hard on.”