The Beachwood Bison enter the 2025-26 girls’ basketball season with a youthful roster and plenty of potential.
Head coach Don Readance, now in his fourth season at the helm, is guiding a program that finished 13-10 overall and 4-7 in the Chagrin Valley Conference last winter. With no seniors and only two returning starters, the Bison are focused on development, discipline, and steady improvement.
“We will go into this season with an extremely young and inexperienced but eager team this season with no seniors and just two returning starters,” Readance said. “We have a hard-working group of players that will look to compete and improve game to game. I’m excited to watch this young group grow together.”
The Bison will once again be led by sophomore point guard Zoe Walters and junior guard/forward Marley Readance, both returning starters who bring valuable experience on both ends of the court.
Walters is coming off an outstanding freshman campaign in which she averaged 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, earning second-team All-CVC and second-team Division IV All-Northeast District honors.
“Zoe is a dynamic playmaker and scorer who has the ability to impact the game in multiple ways,” Readance said.
Readance, a two-year starter, provides a strong all-around presence after averaging 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game last season. She was named honorable mention All-Northeast District.
“Marley’s athleticism and overall play will be a key part of our path to having a successful season,” Coach Readance added.
Readance will be busy this winter as she once again will play basketball and compete on the indoor track.
“Marley Readance will be competing for the third winter season in a row as a varsity participant in two winter sports (basketball and indoor track),” Coach Readance said. “Last year, she was a varsity starter on the basketball team while also running the second leg of Beachwood’s indoor state championship 4×200-meter relay at the OATCCC state indoor meet.”
Several underclassmen will play key roles in Beachwood’s growth this season. Sophomore forward Ali Stephens is expected to provide a lift on the glass after earning minutes as a freshman.
“Ali earned some varsity minutes last year as a freshman and performed well in limited opportunities,” Coach Readance said. “We are looking for her to help solidify our rebounding needs.”
Junior forward Amaya Brown will also be counted on to take a step forward after serving as a reliable bench contributor.
“Amaya was a solid contributor off the bench last season,” Readance said. “We are looking for her to take another big step as a starter this season.”
Sharpshooting sophomore guard Sorah Segal is expected to compete for a starting role and provide perimeter scoring.
“Sorah will look to earn a starting spot this season with her long-distance shooting, helping to boost the Bison offense,” Readance said.
Freshmen Avery Mercer and Journei Casson headline a promising young group looking to make an immediate impact.
“Avery is a top-level athlete and competitor with great defensive instincts that should translate into some key varsity playing time this season,” Readance said. “Journei is an exciting young player with a lot of untapped potential who will compete for serious playing time at the varsity level this season.”
With such a young team, the Bison’s progress will hinge on fundamentals and consistency.
“We want to be a more disciplined team at both ends of the court this season and just literally look to improve game by game,” Readance said. “We will need to take care of the basketball on offense, limiting unnecessary turnovers and closeout defensive possessions with rebounds to limit second chance points for our opponents.”
While Beachwood’s youth presents challenges, Coach Readance believes the commitment and competitiveness of this group will make for an exciting season. The focus will be on development, teamwork, and gradual improvement — a foundation for long-term success.
“Obviously, our youth and inexperience will be a big challenge for us,” Readance said. “We hope to work hard each and every day and just improve day by day and game by game, learning from our mistakes.”
