By Joanna Chadwick

The first Tuesday night of June was for basketball at Derby, as the Panthers girls team, under new coach Bryan Chadwick, played Andover and Clearwater in summer league ball.

Derby finished third in Class 6A in March, while Andover was fourth in Class 5A. Both teams return the bulk of their teams.

The Panthers returns seven seniors — Destiny Smith, Jaden Wilson, Madison Smith, Kyler Demel, Avery Wilson, Natalie Wilson and Teagan Grady — after losing the lone senior, Addy Brown, a McDonald’s All-American selection who is headed to Iowa State.

Andover returns most of its team, including seniors Alana Shetlar and Brooke Walker, who scored her 1,000th point last season despite suffering a shoulder injury.

Andover went 2-0 on the night, while Derby was 1-1, but neither coach was too worried about wins.

“It’s more like we’re trying to get better each day,” Andover coach Hannah Alexander said. “Not worrying about winning or losing — although everyone wants to win — but more so just trying to get better at each skill level. We’re working on drills, fundamentals, little things that in the season get overlooked.”

Chadwick was pleased with how his team played, especially because they’re learning how to play without Brown, one of the state’s best players.

“We want them to know everyone needs to contribute, not just a few,” he said. “I saw that they’re going to fight very hard versus those kind of teams. We have to make sure we don’t lose ourselves over small mistakes, and we didn’t. We got down by nine and fought back. We have to let our defense work for us.”

For Chadwick, summer league is important for the program as a whole — every player and coach.

“As a new coach, i want to use this summer to get to know everybody to implement our system, to let our coaches work with the young ladies and with me as well,” he said. “I have a lot of seniors, and I don’t want them searching. With us implementing our style now and working with them the rest of the year, it will make everything easier during tryouts and the season.

It’s also an excellent time to build team chemistry.

“We’re creating a culture of fun and working hard so they know how much we care about them,” Chadwick said.

For Andover, that includes bringing a strong freshman class into the system.

“They’re learning the routine, learning the plays, learning each other,” Alexander said. “It will help us in the long run and during the season.

Leadership is also important in summer workouts.

“Brooke and Alana are great leaders on and off the court,” Alexander said. “They’re definitely helping the young ones, helping teach them. Sometimes it’s better hearing it from your peers than some old lady barking orders.”