Everyone knows the star for Eastern’s women’s basketball team.

Senior forward Rachel Galligan is the team’s returning leading scorer and rebounder. She was named to the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason First Team and is within reach of becoming Eastern’s all-time leading scorer.

In the 26 games Galligan played last season, she was the team’s leading scorer in 20 of them. While the leadership and dominance Galligan displayed last year is expected to continue throughout the 2008-09 season, the depth of this year’s team should take the load off Galligan for the first time in her career.

Take Friday night’s victory against Miami (Ohio). Galligan still finished with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the Redhawks focused on stopping Galligan by constantly double-teaming her in the paint. For long stretches in both halves, the Panthers were unable to feed her the ball.

But during those stretches, other Panthers were doing a fine job of taking control on the offensive end. In the first half, it was junior guard Ashley Thomas. With Galligan getting doubled in the post, Thomas saw several wide-open shots and took advantage of the opportunity. She finished with 14 points, 13 of which came in the first half.

Thomas credited Galligan and the post players for giving her those open shots.

“When they get (the ball) in there and people are all over them they throw it out and it’s always a good pass,” Thomas said. “If they know (pressure) is coming, someone’s on the backside wide open so it goes to them for being good passers.”

In the second half, senior guard Ellen Canale handled the offensive duties while Galligan was getting doubled in the post. She finished only 3-for-6 from the field but got to the free throw line three straight times early in the second half with the Panthers’ lead cut to one. Her aggressiveness forced Redhawks’ leading scorer, senior guard Jenna Schone, to sit the bench for much of the second half in foul trouble.It is clear the Panthers are more than a one-dimensional team. While Galligan is the focus of the offense and getting the ball to her is always the first priority, the team can attack opponents in several different ways.

If the Panthers can continue to get production out of its guards, as well as Galligan’s frontcourt teammates in senior forward Lindsey Kluempers and junior forward Maggie Kloak, the Panthers have a much better chance for success.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or at cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.