Losing a top shooter like Natalie Vermillion creates a noticeable void for Panther Valley, but head coach Rob Kovac believes the Panthers are built to handle the change.

With leading scorer Morgan Orsulak returning and a deeper supporting cast ready for expanded roles, Kovac sees the shift as an opportunity to play a more balanced, up-tempo style.

Vermillion led the Panthers with 64 3-pointers, and finished with 207 points last season, second only to Orsulak’s 313. Now with Orsulak anchoring the offense, Kovac — with more than 30 years of head coaching experience — is transitioning to a quicker pace designed to maximize athleticism and create opportunities across the lineup.

“We’re going to play quicker,” he said. “We’re going to play at a different tempo than maybe a year ago both offensively and defensively, and Morgan should flourish in the system that relies more on athleticism as opposed to your prototypical half-court stuff.”

Senior returner Caroline Breslin will also take on added offensive responsibilities as the Panthers replace Vermillion’s production.

The third senior, Ava Alabovitz, enters her first season as a varsity player after previously serving as a team manager.

Two key starters expected to help drive this new style are junior Lucy Kocha and freshman Aliciana Aponte.

“I think Lucy as a sophomore last year showed glimpses that she could be a really nice basketball player that we’re expecting her to be consistent this year,” Kovac said. “She can spread the floor with her jumper, but she also can get to the basket a little bit. She was a guard a year ago, but I think we’re going to ask her to score a little bit more for us this year to kind of lessen the blow of losing Vermillion.”

Kovac also has high expectations for Aponte.

“We talked about changing the pace and the tempo. She’s one of the kids that’s going to be able to do that for us. She can really push the ball in transition. She can get after you defensively with her athleticism. She’s going to make life easier for some of her other kids because she takes away so many ball-handling responsibilities.

“Her learning curve will be there just because there’s always the adjustment of playing against varsity-level girls — the quickness, the size, the strength. She needs to adjust, but good basketball players make adjustments, and she’s going to be an excellent basketball player.”

The final starting spot will be decided between junior Ajete Gjoca and sophomore Danika Blazosky, both capable of providing complementary offense.

Panther Valley expects more depth than in recent years. Juniors Janessa Prudente and Megan O’Brian are ready to contribute, freshman Kate Breslin — Caroline’s sister — will see minutes, and 6-foot sophomore Nicole Carasquillo offers reliable size and frontcourt support that could help lessen Orsulak’s workload.

The Panthers finished 8-14 last season, and went 2-12 in Schuylkill League Division 1 play.

While Kovac hopes the new system leads to better results, his expectations remain grounded in steady improvement.

“Obviously we want to contend for the Schuylkill League playoffs. If you do that, naturally you’re in the district playoffs. We want to be able to do both,” he said. “Our biggest goal is we just want to get better every game, and if we can do that, we’ll find success.”

Panther Valley opens the season Dec. 2 on the road at Mahanoy Area.