Corrin Arnold texted Maddie Wylie several times over the fall to share how much the Bordentown Regional High School girls basketball team will miss her.
Wylie, a 1,000-point scoring force inside who’s now playing for Eastern University, was one of four seniors, two that were starters, to graduate from last year’s Burlington County Scholastic League Freedom Division co-champions. Arnold’s return should soften her graduation loss.
“Corrin played alongside Maddie so I feel like she’s kind of been in the shadow of Maddie for a couple years,” said Bordentown coach Bill Lloyd. “So I’m just hoping this year she takes it and saw what Maddie achieved and kind of becomes more consistent with what she’s been doing because she’s going to be our really our only true big. We’re going to be very guard heavy this year.”
Arnold is a 5-foot-10 forward. And she’s hoping that the Scotties can depend on her in some of the same ways they relied on Wylie, though they have different styles. Wylie used a variety of post moves to rack up points. Arnold can score inside, can shoot and she’s mobile and runs the floor well. She’s hoping to respond to the greater demands being put on her.
“I definitely do need to become more consistent,” she said. “And especially with Maddie gone, I will definitely have to step up a lot more because last year, I did good but I definitely could have been better. And this year, I’m hoping to be a lot better and pick up the consistency because I feel like at times, like my confidence isn’t always there.”
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Arnold comes into the season already brimming with confidence. She recently committed to continue playing after graduation at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa.
“I’m pretty excited about that,” Arnold said.
Arnold can hardly remember a time when she didn’t play basketball. She followed her sister into the sport, and has a cousin who played at Mercer County Community College and a supportive uncle who encouraged her to work at her game and helped connect her to an AAU team to play competitively year-round.
There was a time when she thought she was burning out on basketball. But then she hit high school basketball and it’s fueled her future, so much so that even though she really enjoyed high jumping, she gave up track to put more time into AAU basketball in the spring. It’s helped her develop into a college prospect.
“I feel like the past two years, I was thinking about it, and I was like, oh, I do actually really want to play basketball,” Arnold said. “Because I just think about my high school team, I’m having so much fun here and I want to experience this for as long as I can. So I think going to college and playing is a good decision for me.”
Arnold still has one more season of scholastic play, and she is looking forward to an increased role with the Scotties. She was a contributor as a sophomore and started games toward the end of that season, then was a full-time starter last year in another good season for the Scotties.
“You hope that the maturity is there and you hope that she also realizes, this is my last year playing high school basketball, so this is my team,” said Lloyd. “So I’m hoping she takes that leadership role as well.”
Arnold won’t have to do so alone. She’s part of a big senior class that includes Ciara Knight, who was a first-team Freedom Division selection last year.
“Her and Ciara are friends so I feel like that’s a huge thing because Ciara is also our floor leader,” Lloyd said. “So I feel like those two together really give us that senior leadership. And then we sprinkle a few other girls in there. I have seven seniors this year, so that’s going to be nice.”
Together, they will be leading an adjustment in playing style. Bordentown figures to play a little faster this year and get up and down the floor more with a guard-heavier lineup.
“I just think we have to get out and run and she has to get down the floor and we can see if we get her the ball, where last year we played more of a half-court , like we have the dominant girl in the middle let’s just put her on the post and let her go to work,” Lloyd said. “So we’re going to have to get up and down the floor a little bit more this year.”
That’s a style that Arnold feels should suit her as a mobile forward. She has played a forward spot for most of her life, just dabbling briefly in bringing the ball up when she was very young. Now she’ll be bringing her height and athleticism to complement a new approach for Bordentown’s offense.
“I feel like fast-paced could be fun,” she said. “Change doesn’t hurt.”
Each year brings change, but maybe none bigger than stepping up to a senior role. Arnold has been taking in what she’s seen from older mentors during her first few years in the program. They made her first high school seasons fun and she enjoyed getting to know everyone as she developed into a starter for the team.
“I definitely feel like I will have to become more of a leader because you’re the seniors, all the younger girls are going to be looking at you,” Arnold said. “And I just hope that all these girls will like look up to us. Always being an underclassman and looking up to the seniors and them being leaders, it’s just so weird to feel like that now. And I have to show them how to play and stuff.”
She is expecting some new contributors to help the Scotties as they look for a third straight Freedom Division title. Bordentown has enjoyed back-to-back 20-win seasons. The Scotties won’t tip off until December 15 when they host Doane Academy. Arnold has plenty of motivation heading into the season with hoping to develop her consistency, up her leadership and help Bordentown remain a BCSL powerhouse as she prepares for the next level.
“I’ve just been so excited,” Arnold said. “From like the end of last season, I feel like being a senior is so big, you have your Senior Night and everything. And I’ve just been really excited, literally waiting for this moment. A bunch of me and my friends, we already started making the playlist, like we’re doing a bunch of planning team bonding things, like we’re just really excited for this season.”
Bordentown varsity girls’ basketball is set to kick things off on Monday, Dec. 8 with a 5:45 p.m. scrimmage against Robbinsville at home, followed by away scrimmages at Shawnee and Delrane Dec. 10 and 12.
The regular season is scheduled to begin on Monday, Dec. 15 with a 5:15 game at home against Doane Academy.