Stated intentions

Going into the 2004-05 season, the Lake City High girls basketball program had built a tradition of qualifying for state.

The Timberwolves’ trophy case has six trophies, including state-title hardware from the school’s first year in 1994-95.

LC teams played in seven trophy games in 10 years – including a third-second-third stretch from 2002 through 2004 – and three state finals.

A string of three consecutive trips to state came to an end last year, though, when the T-Wolves fell to Coeur d’Alene in the 5A Region I best-of-3 series and lost to eventual state champ Boise in a play-in game. CdA went on to place fourth.

Junior Richelle Fenenbock, the lone returning starter from a year ago, is determined to get LC back to state.

With no seniors in the starting lineup and just one on the roster, the 5-foot-7 guard decided to take the leadership role on her shoulders this season when asked by her coach, Darren Taylor.

She was appointed as one of two captains along with the lone senior, Barb Satterthwaite, who was picked in a vote by her peers.

It hasn’t been the smoothest transition for the appointed leader or the followers. There have been plenty of growing pains on the court and a few rough patches off the court – nothing that has damaged the team’s young chemistry. But the Timberwolves have had to learn through adversity nonetheless.

After playing well in an early season win over Eagle (51-45), the Timberwolves played as if they had little familiarity with the fundamentals in a 56-38 loss the following day to Centennial.

“We played awesome the night before against Eagle,” Fenenbock recalled. “Then we played horrible against Centennial. Everybody’s got to go through trials, and that was one of the trials we had to go through.”

Subsequently, the T-Wolves spiraled, falling to 3-6 overall and starting 1-3 in the Inland Empire League.

But LC (8-7, 5-3) has bounced back, winning five of its last six, including four straight conference games and sweeping its IEL games against crosstown rival CdA.

While adjusting to being a leader, Fenenbock also has had to make a transition to a new position. LC’s point guard last year, Fenenbock shares that position with sophomore Emma Hawn while also playing off guard and wing.

Hawn either was out with a sprained ankle or played sparingly in LC’s three league losses. That put an additional burden on Fenenbock.

“Richelle has to do a lot of different things from game to game,” Taylor said. “A lot of time it takes away from her scoring when she has to concentrate on other things.”

Even as the team’s point guard last year, Fenenbock didn’t run LC’s usual system. Taylor had to alter his team’s offenses and defenses last season to fit a slower, more methodical team.

This year’s squad is in the mold of LC’s successful, state-qualifying teams.

“We’re still a work in progress,” Taylor said. “We are showing more consistency of late and it’s very encouraging. They’re starting to figure out our system.

“We were starting from the beginning this year. Last year we had all those big volleyball players. So for Richelle, even this year has been a lot like starting over.”

So for Taylor, who has been prone to knee-jerk emotional outbursts over the years, this season has tested his patience. Fenenbock gives her coach high marks.

“He’s pushed the right buttons,” she said.

Quipped Taylor: “I’ve been forced to be patient, but I don’t like to be. You try to be demanding to put out your best effort every game, but sometimes you have to step back and realize you have a young team.”

Taylor calls Fenenbock the most valuable player in the league.

“I haven’t seen another player this year that can do all the things that she does,” Taylor said. “She can hit the 3. She can take you on the dribble. She can defend you one on one. And I haven’t seen anybody as fast from one end of the court to the other end.”

Fenenbock is averaging a league-best 14 points per game. She’s been in double figures in 11 of 15 games, including a career-high 27 points in LC’s first win, 68-55 at Capital.

After LC’s 46-30 win over CdA last Friday, the T-Wolves bounced back to survive an upset bid by Moscow on Saturday. LC held off the visitors 52-46 as Fenenbock scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting. She also had five steals and four assists.

“She carried us on her back against Moscow,” Taylor said. “We were mentally and physically tired after playing Coeur d’Alene.”

Joining Fenenbock and Hawn in LC’s youthful starting lineup are 5-11 freshman post Katy Baker, junior post Riki Moreland and junior wing Brittany Bemis.

Baker is the team’s second-leading scorer (10.8 ppg).

Fenenbock marvels at the improvement her team has made in the last month and will likely make in the next month. What about next year?

“I just can’t wait until next year,” Fenenbock said. “I think we’re going to be unstoppable next year. But only if we try hard. We’ve come a long way this year.

“We have tons and tons of room to improve. We’re a great team, but we can get so much better.”

Taylor also sees Fenenbock and her team improving.

“She’s just going to get better and better,” Taylor said. “The players are getting better around here. They’re all growing around her and it’s going to make her better. Sometimes I catch myself looking ahead to next year – we’ll have all five starters back and we’re going to be a pretty special squad next year.”