St. Pius girls’ hoops wants strong start to include championship finale

(Festus) The St. Pius Lancers had a mostly dominant year in girls’ basketball last season, but with an unfortunate twist.

Despite winning 20 games, St. Pius was defeated by Cuba in its first district tournament game.

Lancers head coach Aaron Portell says that early exit is motivating this season’s squad.

While she has been hampered by a preseason ankle injury, senior guard A.J. Agers will be leading the charge this season for the Lancers after averaging more than 18 points per game in an all-conference junior campaign.

But Portell says the most impressive thing is, as Agers gets healthier, she seems to be raising her game to another level.

Despite having Agers sit out half of their first 6 games, St. Pius still went unbeaten in a busy start to the season.

To hear the full interview with Lancers head coach Aaron Portell, click play below.