Sizing Up The Girls

St. John-Endicott Eagles

Record: 22-2.

Coach: Lorin Carlon, sixth year.

First-round opponent: WilburCreston.

Route to state: No. 1 seed from District 9. Defeated Dayton 59-40, TekoaOakesdale 55-43, Pomeroy 55-45.

Top players: Tricia Lamb, 5-10 soph., guard/forward, 17.5 ppg; Andee Schmick, 5-9 jr., 17.5; Staci Garrett, 5-9 jr., guard/ forward, 9 ppg.

Fast fact: Finished fourth in last year’s tournament. Third consecutive trip to state.

Outlook: “If we can get consistent point production outside of Schmick and Lamb, we’re going to be tough to beat,” Eagles coach Lorin Carlon said.

Schmick and Lamb generally make up 75 percent of St. John-Endicott’s points.

Wilbur-Creston Wildcats

Record: 23-4.

Coach: Mike Crowell, fourth year.

First-round opponent: St. JohnEndicott.

Route to state: No. 3 seed from District 7. Defeated Inchelium 74-55, lost to St. George’s 68-67, defeated Selkirk 66-36, Almira/Coulee-Hartline 47-42.

Top players: Jessica Martin, 6-0 jr., forward, 23.1 ppg; Holly Arden, 5-8 jr., forward, 10 ppg; Janelle Allen, 5-8 soph., guard, 9 ppg; Mindy Bandy 5-10 soph., center, 8 ppg.

Fast fact: Shot 82 percent from the free-throw line in district play.

Outlook: “They’ve come so far this year,” Crowell said. “We could be a Cinderella story if our bracket weren’t so tough. We haven’t been to the tournament since ‘91.”

St. George’s Dragons

Record: 24-2.

Coach: Ross Thomas, 11th year.

First-round opponent: Seattle Lutheran.

Route to state: No. 2 seed from District 7. Defeated Reardan 74-56, Wilbur-Creston 68-67, lost to Davenport 55-51.

Top players: Chrissy Peterson, 5-9 sr., forward, 27 ppg; Cara Longinotti, 5-5 sr., guard, 9 ppg; Dawn Trowbridge 5-5 jr., guard, 8 ppg; Buffy Mann 5-2 sr., guard, 5.2 ppg; Jaimie Arthur 5-8 sr., forward, 4 ppg.

Fast fact: For the third straight year, the Dragons enter the state tournament without a key starter from the regular season. Cherea Davis is this year’s casualty.

Outlook: It depends on who the Dragons play.

“We’re a team of boxers,” Thomas said. “If we run up against sluggers - it could be a long night.”

Lack of depth could be a problem as well. “We have no infantry,” Thomas said.

Seattle Lutheran Saints

Record: 16-7.

Coach: Bruce Carlson, 14th year.

First-round opponent: St. George’s.

Route to state: No. 2 seed from TriDistrict. Defeated Lopez 42-31, Darrington 52-49, lost to Watson Groen 58-33.

Top players: Megan Bayles, 6-0 sr., center, 12.6 ppg; Mandy Dowding, 5-10 jr., guard/forward, 6 ppg.

Fast fact: The Saints have won five of their last six games.

Outlook: “We’re playing our best basketball of the season right now,” coach Carlson said. “I feel we’re kind of a middle-of-the-pack team. I think we have a good shot to win a game here and there, but then again, it’s tournament time and you never know what can happen.”

Davenport Gorillas

Record: 25-1.

Coach: Jim Stinson, fourth year.

First-round opponent: BridgeportMansfield.

Route to state: No. 1 seed from District 7. Defeated Reardan 74-56, Selkirk 63-46, Almira Coulle-Hartline 57-43, Davenport 55-51.

Top players: Jennifer Stinson, 6-1 sr., guard, forward, center, 30 ppg; Andee Marriott, 5-5., sr., guard, 15 ppg; Christie Emery, 5-7 fr., guard, 6 ppg.

Fast fact: Davenport has lost just eight games in Stinson’s four-year tenure.

Outlook: “A lot has to do with what our reserves can do,” Stinson said. “If everybody can step up and play well, we’ve got a shot. The other key is how well we can play defense.”

Bridgeport-Mansfield Fillies

Record: 17-6.

Coach: Mel Wells, first year.

First-round opponent: Davenport.

Route to state: No. 2 seed from District 6. Defeated Soap Lake 54-52, beat Pateros 55-31, lost to Manson 56-43, defeated Waterville 67-60.

Top players: Shelbie Preugshchat, 5-9 soph., center, 15 ppg; Joanie Hurley, 5-6 jr., guard, 14.6 ppg; Jamie Davis 5-7 sr., forward, 14.6 ppg.

Fast fact: Beat A/C-H 57-35 at Bridgeport to open this season.

Outlook: “We average 62 to 63 points a game,” Wells said. “We’ve got kids who can shoot the ball, and we’ve got good depth as well.”

Wishkah Valley Loggers

Record: 26-0.

Coach: Rick McDougall, 14th season.

First-round opponent: Clallam Bay.

Route to state: No. 1 seed from District 4. Defeated Morton 74-35, Rainier 61-56, Mossyrock 72-51.

Top players: Sissel Pierce, 6-5 sr., center, 20.3 ppg; Melissa Bowen, 5-10 jr., guard, 15 ppg; Mindy McElliott, 6-0, soph., forward, 15 ppg; Abbie Pierce, 6-3 soph., forward, 8.8 ppg; Crystal Teague, 6-0 jr., forward, 8.7.

Fast fact: Sissell Pierce (headed to Montana State University) has blocked 141 shots this season. Her younger sister Abbie has 41 blocks.

Outlook: “We’re good enough to win it,” McDougal said of his No. 1 ranked team. “This has been a team that has really not let down all year.”

The Loggers received some desperately needed point-guard play when 5-foot-10 point guard Melissa Bowen transferred to Wishkah.

Clallam Bay Bruins

Record: 17-6.

Coach: Mike Jannausch, sixth year.

First-round opponent: Wishkah Valley.

Route to state: No. 3 seed from TriDistrict. Defeated Tacoma Baptist 47-22, lost to Watson Groen Christian 51-43, defeated Crescent 56-54 in OT, beat Darrington 49-44.

Top players: Heather Dukes, 5-7 sr., forward, 15.5 ppg; Deborah Sangel, 6-0 soph., center, 13 ppg; Kathleen Shingleton, 5-3 sr., guard, 8.8 ppg.

Fast fact: Dukes and Shingleton have played five years at the varsity level. Shingleton has started every game of her career.

Outlook: “I wish we had more depth,” Jannusch said. “We have good patience and we’re strong at point guard. “This team doesn’t quit. They’ve been in some tough contests and they are tenacious.”

Morton Huskies

Record: 19-8.

Coach: Jay Henderson, second year.

First-round opponent: Klickitat.

Route to state: No. 3 seed from District 4. Defeated Raymond 52-44, lost to Wishkah Valley 74-35, defeated Valley 60-29, beat South Bend 54-47 in OT, beat Lake Quinalt 63-49.

Top players: Sarah Coleman, 5-10 jr., forward, 16 ppg; Sami Schinnell 5-6 sr., guard, 11.6 ppg; April Kenny, 6-0 jr., center, 8.4 ppg.

Fast fact: Coleman averaged 21 points and Schinnell averaged 13.2 in district play..

Outlook: “I feel really good about this team,” Henderson, a of native Spokane

said. “We lost four key seniors from last year, so we built the team around Coleman and Schinnell. The difference for us is that we’ve got a lot of players doing a lot of things that don’t show up in the stat book. It’s been a real satisfying year as a coach.”

Klickitat Vandals

Record: 25-1.

Coach: Kirk Huwe, third year.

First-round opponent: Morton.

Route to state: No. 1 seed from District 5. Lost to Kittitas 61-50, defeated Glenwood 62-40, Sunnyside Christian 63-60, Kittitas 56-53.

Top players: Jill Pimley, 5-5 soph., guard, 26 ppg; Emily Looney, 5-5 sr., guard, 12 ppg; Kristen Lessig, 5-4 jr., guard, 6ppg.

Fast fact: Even smaller than last year’s team. Tallest player is 5-8.

Outlook: “I don’t know,” Huwe said. “They surprised me (last) weekend. What they do from here on, I won’t be surprised.”

Mossyrock Vikings

Record: 21-3.

Coach: Gary Stamper, first year.

First-round opponent: TekoaOakesdale.

Route to state: No. 2 seed from District 4. Defeated Naselle 66-48, beat Quinalt 44-42, lost to Wishkah Valley 72-51.

Top players: Alex Dagnon, 6-1 sr., center, 16.5 ppg, Emily Ruff, 5-10 sr., guard, 15 ppg.

Fast fact: Ruff is the younger sister of Washington State guard Jenni Ruff.

Outlook: “We’ve played well. We had a tough non-conference schedule, so we’ve prepared ourselves really well,” Stamper said. “Our team has been led by our seniors. They have been to Spokane since they were freshmen. One of the goals that we set going into this season was to get back over there.” < Tekoa-Oakesdale Nighthawks

Record: 19-9.

Coach: John Jaeger.

First-round opponent: Mossyrock.

Route to state: No. 2 seed from District 9. Lost to St. John-Endicott 59-40, defeated Asotin 56-49, beat GarfieldPalouse 53-47, beat Pomeroy 51-41.

Top players: Brandi Peringer, 5-8 jr., forward, 13 ppg. Six players average six to eight points a game.

Fast fact: The Nighthawks have been to the state tournament seven of the last eight years.

Outlook: “We’re a young team,” Jaeger said. “We grew up as a team and are peaking at the right time. This team doesn’t care who it plays. I don’t there just happy to be here. They want to be playing come Saturday.

Watson Groen Christian Crusaders

Record: 20-3.

Coach: Stan DeYager, 13th year.

First-round opponent: Rainier.

Route to state: No. 1 seed from TriDistrict. Beat LaConner 62-42, Clallam Bay 51-43, Seattle Lutheran 58-33.

Top players: Amanda Andreasen, 6-1 sr., center; Tammie Koops, 5-11 sr., forward; Heather Broekhuis, 5-8 soph., guard; Heide Broekhuis, 5-6 soph., guard; Karen Glover, 5-5 fr., guard.

Fast fact: Four of the five starters played at state last year.

Outlook: In last year’s tournament, the Crusaders led Rainier late in the game before blowing a five-point lead. That ending set the tone for this season. “We’re hoping to come in and grab some hardware,” DeYager said. “This team isn’t satisfied to just be going.”

Rainier Mountaineers

Record: 19-5.

Coach: Jack Mehn.

First-round opponent: Watson Groen.

Route to state: No. 4 seed from District 4. Defeated South Bend 62-47, lost to Wishkah Valley 64-56, defeated Toutle Lake 63-60.

Top players: Ida Wriglesworth, 5-7 sr., guard 13.1 ppg; Chante Schutz, 5-7 soph., guard, 11.4 ppg; Melissa Mitchell, 5-11 sr., center, 10.8 ppg.

Fast fact: The Mountaineers opened state tournament play last year against Watson Groen with a 55-52 win.

Outlook: Rainier is nearly a carbon copy of last year’s team. That team had the same record entering the tournament with just two seniors. If it wins its first game, it could play last year’s state runner-up.

After Rainier beat Watson Groen last year, it advanced to play St. George’s. A win this year would pit them against Davenport, provided the Gorillas win their first round game.

Call it the unluck of the draw.

Manson Trojans

Record: 21-2.

Coach: Kyle Plew, third year.

First-round opponent: Darrington.

Route to state: No. 1 seed from District 6. Defeated Brewster 62-41, beat Entiat 47-42, beat Bridgeport 56-43.

Top players: Katie Davis, 5-11 jr., center, 16.1 ppg; Ann Flores, 5-6 sr., guard, 11.4 ppg; Megan Wisdom, 6-0 sr., center, 10.9 ppg.

Fast fact: Plew inherited a team that had a 44-game losing streak in a threeyear period.

Outlook: “I don’t know that I could ask for a better draw,” Plew said.

Manson has never won a state tournament game.

“I’m not worried about our talent, but I am worried about being mentally tough,” Plew said.

Darrington Loggers

Record: 15-9.

Coach: Roger Padgett, eighth year.

First-round opponent: Manson.

Route to state: No. 4 seed from TriDistrict. Defeated Crescent 62-48, lost to Seattle Lutheran 52-49, defeated LaConner 61-49, lost to Clallam Bay 49-44.

Top players: Lindsay Boyd, 5-10 jr., forward, 17.2 ppg; Angie Meece, 5-10 fr., forward, 12.7; Lisa Meece, 5-10 sr., forward/center, 8 ppg.

Fast fact: Fifth state trip in the last seven years.

Outlook: “We’ve got pretty good athletic ability, but we’re still learning,” Padgett said. “The pace and intensity of the state tournament might take us a while to get used to. If we can get used to it early, we can be competitive.”

MEMO: These are two sidebars that appeared with the story:

Sidebar 1: Players to watch 1. Jennifer Stinson, 6-2 forward/ center, sr., Davenport 2. Sissel Pierce, 6-6 center, sr., Wishkah Valley 3. Trisha Lamb, 5-10 guard, soph., St. John-Endicott 4. Chrissy Peterson, 5-10 forward, sr., St. George’s 5. Sarah Coleman, 5-10 forward, jr., Morton

Sidebar 2: Predicted placings 1. St. John-Endicott 2. St. George’s 3. Davenport 4. Wishkah Valley 5. Morton 6. Wilbur-Creston 7. Mossyrock 8. Tekoa-Oakesdale -Kevin Blocker

The following fields overflowed: SECTION = 1995 STATE B BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT