LAPEL — The Lapel Bulldogs enter the 2009-10 boys basketball season with hopes of competing for a sectional championship and possibly more.

Lapel returns seven letter winners from last season’s 18-5 sectional finalist squad.

Among the returning are three starters from last season. Guard Chandler Guion is back after averaging (14 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds) and frontliners Logan Ingle (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Jeremy Reed (12 points, 7 rebounds).

Reed won’t be available at the start due to a broken ankle suffered mid-football season.

“We’ve got three really nice players back,” said Howell. “Reed has to see the doctor and get released then get his 10 practices. It’ll take him a month to get him where he should be. Until then we’ll have a few people playing out of position.”

“I hope I can get back as soon as possible,” said Reed. “I just want to be a part of this team so badly. It’s a privilege to be a on this team, and I want just want to play so bad.”

Newcomers to the Bulldogs include freshman Tanner Watkins and senior Austin Gardner, who played for Pendleton Heights last year. Watkins is the grandson of former Highland Scots coach Alan Darner.

Dylan Hobbs, Chase Needler, Andrew Gibson, Logan Wyant and Boston Fields round out one of the deepest teams in Howell’s six seasons at Lapel.

Among the losses to graduation were Michael Pritchett and Ryan Scott. And gone with them was some outside shooting and inside toughness, but more importantly was the leadership that they provided.

“We must get better leadership from our players,” said Howell. “They’re better than they were last year. But that’s going to be a key for us; getting leadership out there on the floor.”

“We just need a couple of players to keep everybody in gear,” said Reed. “Just to keep everybody positive. If that happens we’ll have a really good bond.”

“We have a lot of young guys on the team, and we just need someone to step up and help the young guys develop the confidence they need,” said Guion.

Lapel’s new conference provides a boost in its strength of the schedule. Lapel has replaced the teams that it has had some recent one-sided success against with the idea that a step up in competition will help the team come March, when the state tournament rolls around.

“There were always a couple of games where going in we thought we’d win by 25 or 30. We don’t have those this year. We have a schedule where we might not have as good a record, but it should help us come tournament time.”

“I think we’ve got a tough task in front of us. I know we have a tough schedule, but I just want to leave it out on the floor,” said Chandler Guion. “I’m looking at it as one game at a time, but to be honest I want that sectional.”