Coach Mike Boles said last year was a “phenomenal season” for the Justin-Siena High School girls basketball team, which went 29-4 overall.

The Braves won championships right and left — Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament, Marin County Athletic League regular season, North Coast Section Division IV.

They were also the Northern California Division IV runner-up and received the NCS Division IV Scholastic Team Championship Award.

“Those type of results are expected on an annual basis. This year is no different,” said Boles. “We expect to compete every single play, every single day. Our constant energy and effort will be the stimulus to success.”

Justin-Siena graduated five senior starters — Vicky Deely, Jessica Futo, Britney Hyatt, Courtney Pardini and Kyleigh McAhren — so the absence of all that scoring, rebounding, defense and leadership will be greatly missed.

“Every year is different, every year the team creates their own identity,” said Boles. “The expectations have not changed. We expect to compete for an MCAL championship. We expect to defend the section title and we expect to go to NorCals.

“We expect to do well. The kids expect it. They have stated so.”

Olivia Vera (forward), Gianna Wright (center) and Zina Zaia (guard) are returners and the team’s captains. Jenn Bettencourt (guard) and Marissa Munoz (guard) are also back.

Janelle Travis, a transfer from Campolindo-Moraga who averaged 16.7 points per game as a sophomore for the Cougars last year, is listed among ranked players by CalHiSports.com. Travis, a guard, shot 33 percent from the 3-point line last year, making 65 treys.

“She is a very, very good basketball player,” said Boles. “She’s already demonstrated the ability to score and she’s also very unselfish.”

Shea Boles (guard), Marie Eberwein (guard), Maleana Raymond (center), Claudia Munoz (forward), Bailee Carter (forward), Hailey Breakwell (center), Chelsea Lazzari (forward) and Katherine Lee (guard) round out the team.

Braves’ boys basketball

Justin-Siena doesn’t have a dominant scorer or rebounder, so coach Phil Rosemurgy said it’s going to have to be a total team effort.

“Everybody’s got to play together, everybody has to contribute something — whether or not you’re on the bench and you’re a cheerleader, whether or not you’re a practice player and you make the guys that are better that are on the floor, whether or not you are playing 5 minutes, 15 minutes or 32 minutes,” said Rosemurgy.

Pat Lazzari, Jake Dunkle, Dom Pruett, Trevor Leveque, Chris Lopez, Paul Dugoni and Brad Aden are the team’s key players. The Braves were 9-16 last year.

“We do not have very much margin of error at all,” said Rosemurgy. “We have to show up and play almost perfectly every single game. I’m just really concerned about how we’re going to show up.”

Rosemurgy said he is having as much fun this year as he’s had with any group that he’s ever coached.

“They’re great, great kids,” he said. “They’re doing everything that I ask. They’re trying to get better every single day.”

Braves’ wrestling

The 2008-09 season brings a start to rebuilding at Justin-Siena. Mixed with last year’s record-breaking achievements, this season should prove to be exciting, first-year coach Wayne Law said. The Braves were the runner-up in the North Coast Section Class A team duals and the runner-up in the MCAL tournament.

They return two of the area’s top wrestlers in Casey Tompkins, who went 29-4 with 18 pins and advanced to the state meet at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, and Spencer McGuinn, the first freshman to win a MCAL title.

Tompkins was undefeated in MCAL dual meets and captured the league tournament title. He also won titles at King of the Valley and Rodriguez-Cordelia tournaments, and was second at the Albany Tournament. Tompkins, coming off an injury suffered in football, was the North Coast Section champion last year.

Corey Hamilton, Reid Francis and Zach Valentine return.

Transfer Christian Platt has looked outstanding, due in great part to his preseason conditioning. John Blanchard had a very good first season backing up at 103 pounds. Everest Lindner (189) and Guillermo Hernandez-Lopez (125) return to round out the seasoned wrestlers.

“We have a lineup of committed young men this year who will challenge expectations as they participate in their first year of the rigorous and rewarding sport of high school wrestling,” said Law, who replaces Roger Bubel, Justin-Siena’s coach for four years.