Whitworth-NWAC women: Underclassmen power Pirates after falling short of Northwest Conference Tournament

Whitworth was a hair short of reaching the Northwest Conference tournament in coach Joial Griffith’s first year, a transitional season with a relatively young squad.

The Pirates will be even younger this winter, looking to improve on last year’s 13-12 mark.

Whitworth was dealt a loss in the offseason when its best player, two-time All-NWC guard and leading scorer Camy Aguinaldo, transferred to conference foe Pacific.

But the underclassmen-led Pirates – a team with two seniors, no juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen – return a few contributors, including starting forward Megan Dorney and guard Jordan Smith, a Mt. Spokane product.

Dorney (7.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game) and Smith (8.3 ppg) have the most experience, but guards Sydney Abbott (6.5 ppg) – a Davenport graduate – and Talia Brander (8.2 ppg) registered starts last season and were big off the bench.

Former Northwest Christian standout forward Courtney Gray is also back after starting five games last season in a bounce-back year, having sat the 2017-2018 due to a knee injury.

Griffith, who last year replaced longtime coach Helen Higgs, brought in more local talent in her first true recruiting class after being hired in March 2018.

The Pirates added a big scorer in freshman Quincy McDeid, an All-Greater Spokane League talent at North Central who set the school’s all-time scoring mark (1,234 points).

Former St. George’s star Abby Jones and ex-Mead guard Alexa Brandt are also among the sizable freshmen class.

Whitworth opens its season Nov. 9 at Colorado College.

Spokane hopes for health, more wins

The Community Colleges of Spokane women’s basketball team has had the talent to be in the last two Northwest Conference tournaments.

Unfortunately for the Sasquatch, much of that talent was glued to the bench with injuries.

Playing in the brawny East Region didn’t help matters.

Bruce Johnson, the longest-tenured head women’s basketball coach in the NWAC, believes the 2019-2020 edition of his squad has the means to reach the postseason for the first time since 2017, when it captured both East Region and NWAC titles.

“But we have to stay healthy,” said the head coach who will retire at the end of the season after 32 years. “We’re going to be one of the smallest teams in the East Region.”

CCS, which finished 14-13 last season, does return a longer guard in its best returning player, former Lapwai sensation and All-East Region selection Koyama Young.

The versatile, 5-foot-8 Young led the Sasquatch in scoring (14 ppg) and pulled down six rebounds nearly three assists a game.

CCS also returns starting guard Katlyn Ostrowski (8.7 ppg) and two ex-Shadle Park products in guards Makenna Grier and Willow Risinger. Shae Anderson returns at forward, starting two games last season and primarily coming off the bench.

Johnson also brought in a few talented locals, including freshman Faith Adams, the former East Valley star who led the Knights to the 2A state title game earlier this year.

CCS opens its season Nov. 15 at home against a CCS alumni squad.

North Idaho returns talent, experience

North Idaho went 20-9 and reached its second straight NWAC tournament a season ago.

Two of its better players – Alivia Williams and Heidi Sellman – since have left Rolly Williams Court, taking their respective games to the University of Alaska-Anchorage and Lewis-Clark State.

Just about everyone else is back, though.

Longtime NIC coach Chris Carlson welcomed back three returning starters, including forward Keara Simpson (12.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.6 apg) and guards Alex Carlton (10.6 ppg) and Halle Eborall (7.5 ppg).

Simson, a former Lake City star, is a double-double machine who earned All-East Region honors earlier this year.

Montana products and guards Sydnie Petersen and Anna Schrade also started a few games last season, each averaging 20 minutes a contest.

Carlson said this is the most experience he’s had since NIC -a former NJCAA member who won a national title in 2010 – moved to the NWAC in 2016.

“At a two-year college, when you have this much experience that’s pretty awesome,” Carlson said. “We have what it takes (to win a East Region and NWAC title), but it’s a long season. (We) have to stay healthy and motivated.”

The Cardinals open their season Nov. 18 against Cochise College in Mesa, Arizona.