RESERVE — Under new coach Stasha Thomas, East St. John has impressed in girls basketball summer league action, hinting that the Wildcats could be factors once again once the prep season gets under way.

ESJ is 4-2 so far against a summer league slate that includes fellow local competitor West St. John, Ursuline, Landry-Walker and Warren Easton. Its two losses have each been by two points or less, one of those a 46-45 decision against an Easton team that lost just one game last season en route to the Class 4A state championship and is hosting the summer league.

“We played them tough through the fourth quarter,” Thomas said. “I thought our aggressiveness, the level of defense we were playing, it was extremely positive for us. We have just one senior and a lot of sophomores and freshmen on our team, and I expect that we’ll only get better.”

Another strong performance came in a five-point win over West St. John.

“We’ve played regularly during the summer, and it’s always a fun, really competitive game,” said Thomas, who was an assistant under former ESJ head coach Jackson Manuel. “Both teams want to win, because you’ve got that local rivalry element.”

East St. John went 18-8 last season and reached the Class 5A postseason before bowing out to eventual semifinalist Destrehan in round one.

Thomas expects the Wildcats’ post play to again be a strength, just as it was last season. Brianna Thompson and Meah Monroe are among those leading that charge in the frontcourt. Both will be asked to step up after the departure of center Kennisha Brooks.

In the backcourt, DaRae Taylor has graduated, but the team has high hopes for sophomore point guard Taylor Lipps.

“We feel like (Thompson and Monroe) are each the type of player who can go out and average a double-double,” Thomas said.

“Taylor’s a really quick point guard, someone who can get at it defensively. We feel like she can handle the job and do a really nice job.”