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JOHNSTOWN - Just two players return from last year's Fulton-Montgomery Community College women's basketball team.

Vicki Dufort and Christine Cornell return from a team that went 14-11 last season to get back to the regional tournament after failing to qualify the previous two seasons. FMCC coach Kevin Jones said the newcomers will have to carry much of the load if the Lady Raiders are to return to regionals.

"It's going to be a huge burden on the freshmen this year," he said. "They're going to get thrown right into it, so they'll have to be leaders from the start."

Last year, the Lady Raiders were ousted by eventual champ Onondaga, a team Jones said should be strong again.

"I think they're going to continue to be a power," he said. "I think they realized they were a sleeping giant. In lacrosse, they're winning national championships and in soccer they were very good this year. Mohawk Valley's coach left, but I think they'll still be solid. I think the region, in general, since I started coaching, has elevated to a different level."

Sophomore Breanna Sauve, a Gloversville grad, also will play for FMCC after taking last year off from basketball and playing for the State University of New York at Cobleskill the previous year. Sauve had stress fractures in her feet, which served as incentive to take time off. As the season progresses, Jones said he expects her leadership to help the team along with that of the returning sophomores.

Dufort saw a good amount of time last season, while Cornell saw limited time. Dufort will be out at the start of the season, Tuesday at home against Finger Lakes Community College, and will not return until Nov. 15 as she recovers from a broken leg.

Two Amsterdam graduates - Sarah Long and Casey Dwyer - join the team this season. Dwyer will run the point much of the time, with both Rhea Gardiner and Cornell at point guard some of the time.

Jones said the offense will vary as the Lady Raiders go through their schedule.

"We have a couple shooters," he said. "We're going to try to push it on different teams. Having so many freshmen, I have to look at what I have to do against each team. In the past, when we've had the horses, we could just push it down peoples' throats and get as many shots as we could."

He said against some of the bigger teams in the region, FMCC will push the ball. Against the smaller teams, he wants to slow the game down and pound the ball in to Sauve and Valarie Patterson.

The Lady Raiders lost Natalie Mosconi and Amber Shamberger to graduation, both of them all-conference and all-region players. Mosconi hit 97 3-pointers last season.

Defensively, Jones said he wants to use his guards to pressure opposing ballhandlers, but whether they drop back into a zone, a matchup zone or stay in man-to-man will depend on the opponent.

Jones said Dwyer and Gardiner will be strong up top, while Dominique Griffin and Kiana Hayden provide slashing potential. Patterson will be on the post and Ariell Traino can play in several spots.

With 11 players on the roster, the FMCC squad is smaller than some Jones has coached, but he said he likes having a small team full of players who will see considerable time.

Despite the youth on the roster, he said the goal is still the regional tournament. The program reached the regional tournament in each of Jones' first eight seasons before missing the next two.

"We definitely want to come in and compete for a conference championship and compete for a regional championship," Jones said. "We want to get back to the regionals. I think if we stay healthy, improve each game, get Dufort back. ... I want to be one of those eight or 12 teams in the regionals. You never know what will happen there."

Fulton-Montgomery Community College

2009 women's basketball team

Dominique GriffinFr.G/F

Samantha McCloudFr.F

Rhea GardinerFr.G

Casey DwyerFr.G

Kiana HaydenFr.G

Valarie PattersonFr.F

Ariell TrainoFr.G/F

Vicki DufortSo.F

Christine CornellSo.G

Breanna SauveSo.F

Sarah LongFr.F

Fulton-Montgomery Community College

2009 women's basketball schedule

Nov. 3FINGER LAKES CC6 p.m.

5at Cayuga CC6 p.m.

8at North Country CC1 p.m.

10ADIRONDACK CC5 p.m.

14at Tompkins Cortland CCTBA

15at Tompkins Cortland CCTBA

17JEFFERSON CC6 p.m.

19at SUNY Delhi5 p.m.

21at Alfred State TourneyTBA

22at Alfred State TourneyTBA

24HUDSON VALLEY CC7 p.m.

Dec. 1BROOME CC7 p.m.

3at Adirondack CC7 p.m.

Jan. 11ONONDAGA CC6 p.m.

14at Herkimer CC7 p.m.

16SUNY DELHI1 p.m.

19at Clinton CC7 p.m.

21SCHENECTADY COUNTY CC5 p.m.

24NORTH COUNTRY CC1 p.m.

28at Mohawk Valley CC7 p.m.

Feb. 6CLINTON CC1 p.m.

9at Hudson Valley CC7 p.m.

11HERKIMER CC6 p.m.

16WORD OF LIFE5 p.m.

18at Schenectady County CC7 p.m.

20MOHAWK VALLEY CC1 p.m.

23Sub-regionalTBA

26RegionalTBA

27RegionalTBA

28RegionalTBA