While the girls’ basketball team may lack both size and depth, the team expects big things from a relatively small group of girls, including a possible Mission League title.

The return of Natalie Florescu ’13 is a big reason for this optimism. She returns as last season’s leading scorer and an unquestioned leader of the team.

“Natalie is amazing, and I don’t know what we’d do without her,” Glenne Carter ’14 said. “She is definitely the MVP of the team and she is the backbone that holds the team together.”

Florescu averaged 14.7 points per game last year, adding three rebounds and almost two steals per game.

Florescu said she expects to “lead by example and show how our team needs to work every day so our team can be the team that we want to be.”

This kind of leadership from the Westmont-bound senior will be needed on the Wolverines’ roster that includes seven underclassmen and is coming off a disappointing season according to Florescu.

Last year’s squad finished under .500 for the first time since the 2005-06 season and lost in the in the first round of playoffs to Workman 83-64 .

But this year, they have their sights set on a Mission League title.

With their lack of size, Florescu said the team will “make sure that [they] are getting into people’s grills and getting after them.” The defense is predicated on this type of full court pressure that will result in easy fast break scores for the offense.

This year’s team adds three new freshmen, including 5’10” forward Isabelle Wolff ’16, who will add size to the otherwise small Wolverine lineup.

Carter said she expects the freshman to help the Wolverines compete with league rivals Chaminade and Alemany.

Wolff, along with Carter, Kathi Bolton-Ford ’13 and Natalie Lim ’15 make up the Wolverines’ frontline.

Lim and Wolff are first year varsity players who pair with the experienced and powerful tandem of Carter and Bolton-Ford.

“She isn’t someone I’d want to play in the post,” Florescu said about the strength and rebounding prowess of the 5’9” Carter.

Coach Melissa Hearlihy led the Wolverines to back-to-back CIF titles in 2009 and 2010, capturing the state title in 2010 as well.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Wolverines run a motion offense based on four perimeter players.