Clearwater Popular Pick

Just one defending state high school girls basketball champion was accorded unanimous top billing in the preseason polls.

Clearwater Valley, which romped to the State A-3 championship last winter, was named unanimously as No. 1 on the ballots of the state’s sportswriters.

The writers also returned the defending champions in the other three divisions to the top of their respective polls - Lake City in A-1, Shelley in A-2 and Highland of Craigmont in A-4.

This is the second year of the girls poll, but the first season that all four classifications have their own rankings. The Spokesman-Review is coordinating the polls for a second year.

Girls basketball polls

Here are the Idaho high school girls basketball preseason polls as voted by the state’s sportswriters. First-place votes are in parenthesis.

A-1 Pts

1. Lake City (4) 58

2. Pocatello (2) 56

3. Blackfoot 23

4. tie, Centennial 22

Highland 22

Also receiving votes: Sandpoint, Boise, Rigby, Borah, Nampa, Lewiston.

A-2 Pts

1. Shelley (3) 52

2. Sugar-Salem 50

3. Bonners Ferry (2) 38

4. Preston 32

5. Moscow (1) 31

Also receiving votes: Jerome, Bishop Kelly, Kuna.

A-3 Pts

1. Clearwater Valley (6) 60

2. Valley 43

3. Grace 35

4. Lapwai 32

5. Fruitland 26

Also receiving votes: Kimberly, Challis, Wallace, Ririe, Glenns Ferry.

A-4 Pts

1. Highland-Craigmont (3) 56

2. Shoshone (2) 49

3. Cambridge (1) 41

4. Nampa Christian 39

5. Oakley 15

Also receiving votes: Maranatha, North Gem, Lakeside, Leadore.

Media participating: The Spokesman-Review, Coeur d’Alene Press, Post-Register, Bonner County Bee, Twin Falls News, The Statesman.

, DataTimes