It’s a little bit like clockwork.

Another year, another winning record, PSAC playoff appearance and defensive mastery of the game of basketball for the Shippensburg University women’s team.

This season the 19-11 Raiders made the quarterfinals for the first time in seven playoff appearances. On paper this team looks about the same as the No. 3 squad that made waves in the conference a year ago with a 17-10 record. But if one looks a little deeper there is something truly new and improved about Lady Raider basketball in 2014-15.

For starters, everyone is a year older. Four of the team’s starting five debuted in Raider uniforms last year and have earned starting positions. The fifth is Stephanie Knauer, one of the team’s two juniors and a leader on and off of the court.

Not a single senior remains on the Raiders after last year’s team scoring leader Sarah Strybuc graduated. That fact has not phased the Raiders however as they have found leadership from many different sources.

“I don’t think the young physical age of our team really affects much,” Knauer said. “We all help each other and we act like we’re older, so as long as we work as a team we’re fine. We don’t really need seniors on our team.”

Several players have impressed 16-year Raider coach Kristy Trn this season by stepping into roles on the team and providing direction for others in the lineup.

“The emotional leadership that we get out on the floor a lot comes from Morgan Griffith,” Trn said. “She sort of cheers the team on and provides moral support, so she leads in that way. Then we get a lot of leadership from Knauer in terms of keeping the team doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Lauren (Gold) has done a really good job of stepping up too. You want your point guard to be an extension of you out on the floor, and she is well on her way.”

Trn also mentioned sophomores Logan Snyder and Colleen Young as players that took a big step forward this past season. She praised Snyder’s work ethic and basketball IQ, and felt that Young has taken it up a notch as a starter this season.

“I think individually everybody has stepped up this year,” sophomore starting guard Lauren Gold said about her teammate’s improvements. “Colleen came off the bench last year and now she’s starting and she’s been a big help. Same with Logan, they help out all over.”

Gold and Griffith, the two other starting sophomores, have taken advantage of their spots on the Raider squad since they first took the court in their debut seasons.

As 2013-14 PSAC Freshman of the Year, Gold set a school season record with 90-percent shooting from the free throw line, averaged 13.1 points per game and finished second in PSAC play with 4.6 assists per game. This year she led the PSAC in free throws at 88.8 percent and finished fourth in the PSAC with 119 total assists.

“She brings a lot to the team; her defense, her speed, she has fast hands,” Knauer said of Gold. “You don’t realize until someone doesn’t play that the point guard has such a huge role on the team.”

Griffith looked impressive as well last season with 10.2 points per game, 8.9 rebounds per game and 11 double-doubles. She improved that to 14 double-doubles in 2014-15, leading PSAC play with 312 total rebounds.

Knauer proved to be a big contributor to the Raiders success in her third college season after making the All-PSAC First Team in 2012-13 and PSAC Freshman of the Year in her debut season at Shippensburg. The 6 foot forward reached the 1000-point club in January of this year, now boasting 1173 points through 84 games as a Raider after leading the team with 13.2 points per game.

“Steph being one of the older players, she is a leader in that we know that we can always come to her on the court,” Gold said. “She talks a lot and she helps communicate, and she’s a really good rebounder.”

Of course, none of these accomplishments would be possible without one of the best head coaches in the business. Trn holds a career coaching record of 258-167 after 16 seasons at the helm. A three-time Divisional Coach of the Year, she has 10 winning seasons under her belt and has contributed immensely to the Raider basketball tradition.

The number one asset that coach Trn brings to the table is a championship defense. That mindset was apparent throughout the season, as the Raiders led PSAC play in defensive rebounds with 864. The squad improved its points allowed per game margin by 12.5, averaging 61.5 on the year versus a 71.9 scoring average.

“We always talk about that we run a pack-line defense,” Trn said, “so our goal is to not give up the high-percentage shots inside the paint. Every shot is to be contested, and we want to make sure we are one of the leaders in rebounding defensively. We just want to force difficult shots and force teams to play into the shot clock”

The players themselves are fully aware of the impact that shutdown defense has made on their season.

“I think that we have gotten a lot more consistent on defense this year,” Gold said. “Once we buckle down we know that we can play defense and that nobody can stop us.”

“I think once our defense starts working our offense just happens,” Griffith added.

Something was working for the Raiders this season, and whatever it was took them through some of the toughest teams in Division II basketball to a third-place finish in conference rankings and the team’s first playoff win in 11 seasons.

“Coming together as a team really helped us when we got to the playoffs,” Griffith said. “We focus a lot on our defense, and our communication has gotten a lot better. I think that has something to do with [our success].”

No matter how disappointed Shippensburg felt after dropping its Tuesday night season finale 77-70 to West Chester in the PSAC Quarterfinals, the Lady Raiders have a lot to be proud of and even more to look forward to in the upcoming season. The hungry lineup looks ready to take the PSAC by storm and as this past season has shown, there’s a new powerhouse in DII women’s basketball.

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