Defending Champs Mead Chasing Another League Title
There is a certain level of excitement surrounding North Side girls basketball teams who begin the Greater Spokane League season on Tuesday.
Defending state champion Mead is chasing a sixth league championship in the last seven years.
Gonzaga Prep is considered a title contender for the first time since 1986. Shadle Park is attempting to remain a top four league team.
Rogers is building on last year’s 5-11 league season, the school’s best since 1989. North Central won twice last week after losing 37 straight games.
Mead and Shadle have set a standard of excellence in GSL girls basketball.
Between them they’ve won five state championships and finished second twice during 17 state appearances.
The two have a combined 10 league titles and finished second eight other times over a 19-year period.
Mead hosts Prep in Tuesday’s GSL feature at 8 p.m. Shadle is at last year’s third-place state finisher, Ferris, NC plays at Lewis and Clark and Rogers hosts another GSL favorite, Central Valley, which is after its fifth league title, in 6:15 p.m. games.
Different look at Mead
Mead may have to find a different way to continue its phenomenal record of recent success.
Instead of one or two players providing most of the offense, as in recent years, Panther coach Jeanne Helfer is expecting contribution from all her players.
“We’re going to have to rely on more people,” she said. “We’re not going to have those great statistical differences.”
Only five players are back. Jennifer Bennett inside and Holly Turner outside were starters. Jamie Wakefield, Kellie Leaf and junior Danielle Zelinski provided depth.
Newcomers include 6-foot juniors Allie Bailey, Staci Schuerman, Holly Myers, Natalie Kehl, senior Erica Gentry and sophomore Morgan Bennett, who was a double figures scorer in her varsity debut.
The Panthers won by 34 points in their opener and beat Moses Lake, indicative that all is well despite the new faces.
“When you’re the defending state champions, what do you do for an encore?” asked Helfer. “Win it again? That’s too much pressure to put on a young team. We hope to continue the consistency we’ve had in the ‘90s.”
Shadle team youthful
Last year’s fourth-place league finisher is young this year, with four sophomores on the varsity roster.
Michelle Etter is the tallest player at 5-foot-10. Aubrie Caldwell is at the point and Rachelle Stockman was in the lineup during a weekend split of non-league games. Lisa Liddell is the team’s other sophomore member.
They join senior returnees Harmony Nelson, Joy Potter and Rainie Drake, junior letter winners Brooke Olzendam and Sara Harchuck.
Other newcomers are senior Vanessa Hanks and junior Tara Buckey.
“We have a lot of young kids. Not many of them have playing experience,” said Linda Sheridan, who has turned some of the responsibilities over to co-coach Tara Flugel.
Without much size or quickness, execution will be stressed in order to reach their goal of qualifying for regionals.
“We have some kids that this is their sport. They love it,” said Sheridan. “It’s a matter of how much we improve.”
Rogers will try to keep up
Last year was something of a break-through season under first-year mentor and GSL coach of the year Drew Vanderpool.
“What’s nice for us is we now have experience,” he said. “I’m not a new coach and we can learn more advanced skills.”
But he’s also realistic after going 1-1 last weekend in non-league games.
“We’re in a difficult league for us, night in and night out,” he said. “We’ll try to keep up.”
As the weekend showed, on a given night any of four or five players can score in double figures.
Senior Jaime Christensen averaged 11 per game, Anna Mullerleile, Lemandy Tannehill and junior Angel Fairbanks hovered near those numbers.
They are among the team’s six returnees. Others are juniors Monica Abrahamson, Christina Delger.
New to the team are juniors Jill Hatch and Malia Wright and sophomore Katie Logue.
“Practices have been very enjoyable,” said Vanderpool. “They are looking forward to the games.”
Finishing out is key for NC
Fundamentally, North Central executed well despite a 0-20 record last season.
This year is likely to be more of the same, although the Indians’ 33-28 victory at Sandpoint and 39-38 overtime win against East Valley last week was encouraging.
“(The players) are going through the wall for me and I appreciate that,” said second-year coach John Reid. “We just don’t have the kids finishing it out.”
Returning senior Lisa Hammond did at Sandpoint. She scored 15 points, including nine in the fourth quarter of the victory. Senior Simone Hayes hit a free throw to beat EV.
Hammond and Reana Emery-Cloy are Indians’ returnees. Newcomers are seniors Mandy Neilson, juniors Cecy Bowers, a transfer from Manson, Beth White and sophomore Alice Stearns.
Rounding out the roster are seniors Chelsea Harris, Krystal Meister, Justine Brockie, and Cheri Bibb.
“It’s going to be tough with the experience coming back in the league,” said Reid. “They’re practicing hard. I can’t ask for more.”
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Mike Vlahovich and Dave Trimmer Staff writers