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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jorden Brons has basketball in her blood

CCS sophomore guard Jorden Brons gives the Sasquatch stability on the floor. (Colin Mulvany)
Chris Derrick The Spokesman-Review
Community Colleges of Spokane will play Jorden Brons at any position on the basketball court. This hardly comes as a surprise, since Brons’ family has been accustomed to filling basketball positions in Colville for several years. It starts and ends with Ray Clark, Brons’ grandfather. Clark coached his daughters (Brons’ mother, Kajsa, and aunt, Jeni) at Colville and has returned a generation later to coach Brons’ sister, Tyra. Kajsa played at Seattle University and Central Washington for one year apiece, but she returned to Colville and married Jamie Brons. Kajsa started Colville’s AAU team when Jorden was in fourth grade and stayed with that group of girls through high school, serving as an assistant to Don Teeguarden. After Jorden graduated and left for CCS, Clark returned as co-head coach during Tyra’s sophomore year and Kajsa remained as assistant. Clark is now the lone head coach, with Kajsa and Teeguarden among his assistants. Family ties also extend to the Colville business community. Ray owns Clark’s All Sports and employs Kajsa. Jamie owns the town’s Taco Time, where Jorden may work after this school year. Jorden chose CCS to be close to home, so she could watch her sister’s Colville games and have her family at many of her Sasquatch games. Jorden played point guard in high school and began her freshman season at CCS at a wing. “But we didn’t have posts, so they put me there because I can rebound,” Brons said. … “I was called a post, but I could still shoot outside.” CCS struggled to a 7-19 record last season. This season, Jorden is back at guard and CCS is 5-4 heading into Christmas break. Two of its losses are to NJCAA top-ranked North Idaho. “Jorden is our team captain and works harder than any girl I have ever coached,” CCS assistant Rick Walter said. … “Even if she’s not scoring, we never want to take her off the floor.” Jorden said that attitude came from Clark. “My grandpa, he coached a lot about heart,” she said. “A lot of girls might not have height or speed, but you can never let up on heart.” Jorden is studying business, but she’s unsure about continuing school or basketball next season. She knows she wants to move back to Colville, where her family has a rich tradition. “She’s one of the few kids who has it all together at her age,” Walter said.

Around the area

Washington State freshman Lia Galderia is second among Pac-12 players with 27 steals. The Cougars are tops among conference teams in 3-point defense (23.2 percent). … Eastern Washington begins Big Sky Conference play Thursday at Weber State (0-9). It’s the first time in 12-year coach Wendy Schuller’s tenure that the Eagles will begin Big Sky play before Christmas. EWU owns an eight-game winning streak over Weber State. The Eagles meet defending conference and conference tournament champion Idaho State on Saturday at Pocatello. … Senior guard Camille Reynolds (North Idaho College/Lakeland High) has averaged 5.4 ppg in seven starts at South Alabama (7-3). Reynolds missed three games with a concussion and broken nose suffered during a practice last month, but she led the Jaguars with 14 points in their latest game.