Coach: 'Lake George girls have bright future'

LAKE GEORGE | Although the Lake George Girls Basketball team is losing three players, including its two top scorers to graduation in June, it has solid potential to have another successful season in 2026-27, retiring coach Jeff Bennett said last week. Bennett informed the Lake George Board of Education March 2 that he was leaving his position as varsity basketball coach. The team's season ended three days earlier, when the Lakers lost a Section II Class C quarterfinal game to Berne-Knox-Westerlo. They ended their season with 10-2 win-loss record in the Adirondack League and 17-5 overall. One of the 2025-26 team's most prominent attributes — the height of its players — will not be affected next season, as the three tallest players — Madyson Brennan, Neveah Howe and McKenna Brennan — will all be returning to the team. On March 3, Bennett described the attributes of his returning players. Junior point guard Chloe Popa has led her 2025-26 team in scoring, having tallied 237 points this year. She's known to be a hotshot in three-point range, and she leads the Lakers in steals, averaging six per game. Also, she leads her team in three-point shooting accuracy, tallying 29 percent. Sophomore guard Madyson Brennan, six-feet-zero in height, is ranked third for the 2025-26 team for both scoring and executing steals, and she leads the team both in blocks per game and sinking the highest percentage of her free throws. Coach Bennett said Madyson will be a key player next season. "Madyson is a really good, versatile basketball player," he said, adding that she plays AAU basketball offseason on a team that travels to distant states to compete. "She's a good shooter and rebounder, and she handles the ball well," he said. Madyson's sister, McKenna Brennan, a seventh grader who is five-feet-seven, also plays on an AAU team. Bennett said McKenna has already gained vital varsity experience, as she has played at least 16 minutes of every game this season, and has been a starter in several of them. Junior point guard Bella Brown, is also returning to the team, Bennett said. "Bella is a great defender — she has fast reactions, is very tough and aggressive, and anticipates passes well — she's all over the floor," he said, predicting that Brown will be focusing on developing her offensive skills. Bennett also said that junior guards Addison Reinhold and junior guard Rachel Evanek, sophomore guard Clara Palladino, and junior center Neveah Howe will all be making important contributions to the team's success next year. Reinhold, third on the team in shooting accuracy, started some the games this season, Bennett said. "Addison is very physical and a very good rebounder,' he said, noting that Reinhold is fast and strong. Bennett also praised Palladino. "Clara is a tough kid who does a really nice job handling the ball," he said. Bennett added that Evanek, the team's most improved player, and Neveah Howe, who is six-feet-zero, will be important players on the 2026-27 team. "Rachel and Neveah grew in their abilities this year, and they both will get a lot of playing time next season," he said. Reflecting on his career, Bennett said he thoroughly enjoyed coaching the the 2025-26 basketball team as well as many past years' Lake George sports teams. Bennett has coached the Lakers varsity basketball team for two seasons, following his tenure mentoring the school's modified girls basketball squad. Bennett also coached varsity football at Lake George for 21 seasons, from 2000 to 2020. He has also held coaching positions at Moriah and Glens Falls high schools. Bennett has been a Social Studies teacher at Lake George since 2000. "I've had a great career — I've met some great kids and great coaches, and I've had a lot of fun," he said.

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Coach: 'Lake George girls have bright future'

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