Two new coaches join the ranks of the county high school girls’ basketball coaches as the county’s six teams follow up what was a notable 2008-09 season.
One team, Jefferson County North, finished last season with an undefeated regular season record, only to get beaten in the substate semifinals to finish 21-1, while another, Oskaloosa, posted only three regular-season losses and came within a game of the state tournament to finish 19-4. Jefferson West also had a winning season at 15-7, McLouth finished with a .500 winning percentage at 11-11, and only Valley Falls and Perry-Lecompton suffered down years at 9-13 and 3-17, respectively.
West and McLouth hired new coaches for the 2009-10 season in Steve Stallbaumer and Robert Good, respectively. Good is returning to coaching after almost 20 years away from the job following a seven-year stint at Sabetha in the 1980s. Stallbaumer comes to West as both coach and school counselor after a year as girls coach at El Dorado.
Following is a capsule review of each team entering the season in order of last season’s record.
JCN
Coach: Steve Noll, fifth year
Last season: 21-1
Noll is looking to reload with the Chargers this year as the team lost some key seniors from last season’s stellar squad, but returns quite a bit of firepower.
There are 22 girls out at North, including three seniors. The seniors – guard Sara Navinskey, forward Mallory GrandPre, and guard Beth Anne Brickell – have been a key part of the Chargers’ resurgence in recent years but Navinskey and Brickell are coming back off knee injuries that derailed their 2008-09 seasons.
“Losing the four seniors we lost costs us a big luxury we had last season in bringing people off the bench,” Noll said. “Right now we’re getting quality time from Anna Kern off the bench but we need a few others to step up. I think we were outplayed by Troy the other night all the way around other than in points.”
Noll said Navinskey and Brickell are at 100 percent in their comeback from injuries, but another Brickell, sophomore guard Kate, suffered a knee injury this summer and won’t return until after the Christmas break. Joining the group on the varsity roster are junior forward Katie Noll and sophomore guard and forward Jordan Kramer, both of whom contributed to the Chargers’ 2008-09 undefeated run, junior guard and forward Kern, freshman guard Kymee Noll, junior guard Gage Funk, and junior post player Kelsey Deviney.
“I’d like to think our strengths are pressure defense and pushing the ball up the court, but we’re not quite there yet,” Noll said. “We’ve got a long way to go before those are big strengths.”
Noll had a hard time picking a favorite in what he considers a tough DVL this season.
“There are a whole bunch of teams that are pretty comparable,” he said. “I think those top eight or nine teams could be right there with each other.”
North had a good win over Maur Hill Mt. Academy and a tight win over Troy under its belt going into DVL tourney play last weekend. Noll was hoping that time would help his team get to the level he would like to see them playing.
“We’ve got people who can step in, we just need to get some scoring off the bench,” he said. “Hopefully that Troy game was just an off night for us. We’ve had our ups and downs, but because of the weather we’ve only had 16 practices and two games. We’re not quite where we need to be, but we know what we need to address and we’ll go after it. The girls are working hard.”
Oskaloosa
Coach: LeeAnn Tufte, fifth year
Last season: 19-4
Tufte returns a small but relatively deep roster for her fifth year as coach of the Bears and has hopes of building on the momentum of a state berth in volleyball this fall.
The Bears lost one of the best players in the county a season ago, Nicole Rockhold, to graduation, but return almost everybody else that had varsity impact last season. There are 16 Bears out for basketball this season, including four seniors. Junior point guard Hailey Kelly is a key returner along with sophomore guard and forward Haley Pfau and sophomore forward Rachel Schmanke. Joining them in the starting lineup are senior forwards Mallory Schmidt and Kyra Coffman, who missed last season with a leg injury.
“I think what we have coming back definitely adds to our ability to continue on from where we left off last season,” Tufte said. “We’ve got more balance this season, and it’s tougher to play a team that’s well-balanced.”
Senior forward Audrey Trowbridge is joined by sophomore guard Jordan Miller and junior forward Katie Barnes in coming off the bench for the varsity rotation. Guard Sam Drinkard is the other senior on the team.
The Bears make the drop to 2A play after a few seasons at the 3A level and will join Valley Falls at the Lebo substate site. Tufte said as far as DVL play goes, she is looking for it to be a challenging schedule this season.
“JCN’s got a good solid team again, and McLouth will be up there along with Horton,” she said. “Jackson Heights and Troy have looked good, and then you’ve got KC Christian and Immaculata in there, too. It’s good. The stronger we can make the DVL, the better off we all are going into substate against other leagues.”
Balance and size are the factors Tufte pointed to that should help the Bears along the way this season.
“We’ve got pretty good size at several spots,” she said. “I’ve been very pleased with how the girls are developing. It’s nice to have that experience at the varsity level with sophomores. Plus they’re a great group of girls, and they get along well. Being able to play an inside game if we need to gives us some balance we haven’t had. I’m looking forward to the season.”
Jefferson West
Coach: Steve Stallbaumer, first year
Last season: 15-7
Stallbaumer inherits a West team that had a good run in 2008-09 but also lost four experienced seniors to graduation.
There are 18 girls out for basketball at West including four seniors. Stallbaumer was an assistant boys coach at El Dorado for three years before taking on the girls’ head coaching spot there for a season. He’ll look to form the team around senior guard and forward BriAnna Ploude, senior guard Taylor James, senior forward Morgan Scott and junior guard Monica Sanders. Joining them in the varsity rotation are senior forward Alexis Lauer, junior forward Tara Massey, and freshman guard Haley Siess.
“We’re gonna try to run with a purpose out there,” Stallbaumer said. “At the same time, we don’t want to throw the ball all over the place. We’ll transition if we can, and if not, we’ll run the half-court offense. Defensively we’ll press some but will mainly be a half-court defensive team.”
Stallbaumer pointed to quickness as a team strength.
“I think we have some athletic girls,” Stallbaumer said. “We’re not a real big team. The girls play hard, and we’ll need to stay out of foul trouble.”
Stallbaumer said, being new to the Big Seven League, he isn’t completely familiar with all the teams but is looking to Holton, Royal Valley and Sabetha to be the cream of this year’s crop.
He said there will be some growing pains this season as he instills his basketball system, but once the team is back from holiday break he hopes to get things running smoothly.
“The girls are working hard,” he said. “We still have a lot to learn. I’m putting in a new system here so we all need to get on the same page. Over these first few games we’ll learn where we’re at.”
McLouth
Coach: Robert Good, first year
Last season: 11-11
After coaching from 1983 to 1990 at Sabetha, Good made a career change and was in the military. Now that he’s retired from that career, Good decided to make the jump back into coaching and takes on a Bulldog team with some potential.
“I had my world adventures,” said Good, who lives in Topeka. “I’ve been to places like Iraq and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Once I retired I thought I’d get back into (coaching). I didn’t necessarily want a full-time job, and this allows me to coach without teaching too. I’ve always had a passion for basketball and that stayed with me even after I left coaching.”
The main weapon for McLouth is senior guard Missy Rome, who has been a three-year standout for the Bulldogs. She is joined by the twin towers inside of senior forwards Cassidy Bristol and Kylie Shufflebarger to form the team’s core. One factor not working in Good’s favor is that only 13 players are out for girls’ basketball at McLouth.
“It’s tough – we’re just on the margin of having a JV,” he said. “The girls we have have a lot of experience and they get along great, so we’ll make the best of it.”
The senior trio is joined on the varsity roster by sophomore guards Terri Stewart and Morgan Drinnon and junior guard and forwards Jessie Troupe and Logan Terry.
“We don’t have a lot of depth, and we only have a couple freshmen out, but we do have some positives,” Good said. “Missy has got star player qualities, and Kylie has a lot of agility for as tall as she is. Cassidy is solid inside. I want to play up-tempo and pressure the ball – speed the game up if I can. We’re not the most physical team, and we don’t have a lot of height, but we’re quick. We want to take advantage of that.”
Good admitted he’s fairly unfamiliar with the DVL but looks to county rivals Oskaloosa and JCN to provide some good competition this season.
“I think from what I’ve seen there’s a lot of strength up and down this league,” he said.
All in all, Good said it’s good to be back in the coaching ranks again.
“I welcome the opportunity,” he said. “I try not to take things too seriously, and keep engaged with helping them become better. We’ve got good balance, I think. We’ve got some speed, and they can get up and down the floor. We’ve also got good ball handling and I’ve been encouraged by that. I just hope we can do well. We’ll compete. We’ve got some tough competition but the girls are positive and they have a good feel for the game. We’ll be OK.”
Valley Falls
Coach: Todd Gish, fifth year
Last season: 9-13
Gish and the Dragons have the pieces for a solid team this season – it’s a matter of putting them together that’s going to take some time according to the coach.
The Dragons have 19 girls out for basketball, including four seniors. Four experienced seniors were lost to graduation a year ago and Gish is looking for some scoring help at the varsity level. Junior standout guard Abbey Kearney had scored half of the team’s points through the first three games.
“We’ve got a lot of kids that are interchangeable, almost,” Gish said. “I figured we’d struggle a little bit this year as far as scoring, and defensively we’re not where I’d like to be. That’s mainly because we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time working on offense.”
Kearney is joined by senior forward Bethany Myers, senior guard and forward Bailey Sherretts, junior point guard Morgan Streeter and junior forward Kaitlyn Speer in the Dragons’ starting five, with junior guard Monique Emery, senior forward Courtnie Watson, senior guard Skylar Nichols, junior forward Jade Edmonds and sophomore guard Macie Herrig coming off the bench.
“We just need to find one person who can get close to double figures in scoring every night, and that would be a big help,” Gish said. “Our seniors and juniors have been really going out of their way to practice hard and set an example. There have been times in the past that hasn’t been the case, and things have been kind of lax. I think it’ll pay off for them and pay off in terms of showing the younger girls, too, how it needs to be done.”
Gish pointed to JCN, Oskaloosa, and KC Christian as the DVL frontrunners for this season with Jackson Heights potentially also in the mix.
“There are a lot of pretty solid teams in the league this year,” Gish said. “There aren’t a lot of heavy hitters but there aren’t any cupcakes either.”
Experience may be the team’s biggest need in the early going as several players haven’t seen much varsity time going into the season. Gish said that the team has practiced well, which gives him hope for better things to come as the calendar turns to 2010.
“We definitely need the practices,” Gish said. “We’ve been shooting better in practice than in games so far, but I think as we keep moving along, things will even out. I was hoping we’d be better defensively, but we’re not there yet. In order for us to be successful, we’ll have to be better there. We have a little ways to go in a lot of areas. We just need to have all five players on the court on the same page at the same time.”
Perry-Lecompton
Coach: Justin Mayer, second year
Last season: 3-17
Mayer and the Kaws are looking to take a step forward in his second year as coach with only two seniors lost from last year’s squad.
A surge in numbers could help Mayer’s cause as he has 26 girls out for basketball this season, including six seniors. He is counting on a group of experienced players to help lead the Kaws to bigger and better things in the 2009-10 campaign. Leading the way are senior post player Katie Volle, junior guard Abbey Bays and senior forward Jessica Christman. They are joined at the varsity level by senior guard Emma Gantz, senior guard Katie Hirsch, junior guard Taylor Akagi, sophomore guard Natasha Carver, senior post player Katherine Frye and senior post player Angel Bayless.
“We’re counting on several players, especially Katie (Volle), and Jessica has also taken a step forward going into the season,” Mayer said. “I think defense is a strength, because we can mix it up, and there are a wide variety of offensive things we can do. I’ve bombarded them with offensive sets. I told them I think we have more offensive things I’ve asked them to learn for certain situations than anybody else in the state.”
The focus is on improvement for the Kaws despite a tough road to hoe in the Kaw Valley League. Mayer said he is looking to 5A teams Lansing and Mill Valley to lead the league this season, and said Piper also seems to have improved from last season.
“Our goal is to finish better than we did last year, and I think it would take a lot of things going wrong not to do that,” Mayer said. “We feel like we can finish in the top half of the league. That’s our goal.”
As it is, Mayer is hoping a year of instilling his system last season pays off as this season progresses.
“They’ve taken to my system,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll run and gun with anybody – we’ll probably slow the game down a lot. Defensively we’ll need to be there every night. We want to go into substate feeling good, and I think we can do that.”
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Hoops update for Dec. 3-4-7
Thursday’s games (Dec. 3)
Girls
DVL Tourney
Play-in games
Troy def. Valley Falls
• The Dragons started the season 0-1.
McLouth 59, Doniphan West 29
• McLouth took a 34-20 halftime lead and put the game away in the third quarter to start the season 1-0. Senior Missy Rome scored 28 points and sophomore Terri Stewart scored 10 in the win for the Bulldogs.
Boys
DVL Tourney
Play-in games
Oskaloosa 63, JCN 51
• The Bears trailed by 7 at the half but tied the game by the end of the third quarter and pulled away for the win late to start the season 1-0. North started the season 0-1. Junior Levi Wade led the Bears with 25 points, junior Adam Bowser added 13 and senior Brandon Barnes scored 12 for Oskaloosa. Sophomore Billy Noll led the Chargers with 11 points.
McLouth 43, Troy 35
• The Bulldogs came back from a 4-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to win and start the season 1-0. Senior Cole Batman led the Bulldogs with 23 points.
Doniphan West def. Valley Falls
• The Dragons started the season 0-1.
Friday’s games (Dec. 4)
Girls
JCN 65, Maur Hill Mt. Academy 33
• The Chargers started the season 1-0. Sophomore Jordan Kramer led the way with 17 points while junior Katie Noll scored 16, senior Mallory GrandPre scored 12 and senior Sara Navinskey scored 11.
Perry-Lecompton 40, Bishop Ward 37
• The Kaws started the season 1-0.
Silver Lake 44, Jefferson West 30
• The Tigers had a 1-point halftime lead but it was all Eagles in the second half as West started 0-1. Senior BriAnna Ploude led the Tigers with 14 points.
ACCHS 49, Valley Falls 43
• The Dragons led by 5 at halftime but couldn’t hold on to drop to 0-2. Junior Abbey Kearney led the way for Valley Falls with 29 points.
St. Marys 40, McLouth 25
• McLouth dropped to 1-1 as St. Marys pulled away in the fourth quarter to win. Rome scored 11 points in the loss.
Boys
JCN 43, Maur Hill-Mt. Academy 36
• North was up 2 at halftime and got the win to move to 1-1. Junior Jeff Hale led the way with 27 points in the win.
ACCHS 47, Valley Falls 42
• The Dragons dropped to 0-2 as ACCHS took a 9-point halftime lead and made it stick. Junior Brooks Glassel scored 9 points to lead the Dragons.
Bishop Ward 56, Perry-Lec. 44
• The Kaws started the season 0-1.
Silver Lake 70, Jefferson West 59
• West trailed by 11 after one quarter but trimmed the lead to 6 entering the fourth quarter. Lake pulled away to drop the Tigers to 0-1. Senior Alex Baker scored 24 in the loss for West.
St. Marys 60, McLouth 36
• McLouth dropped to 1-1. Batman led the Bulldogs with 9 points.
Monday’s games (Dec. 7)
Girls
DVL Tourney
Quarterfinals
JCN 44, Troy 40
• The Chargers moved to 2-0 and were set to play KC Christian in Thursday’s semifinals.
Oskaloosa 51, McLouth 37
• The Bears moved to 1-0 and moved into the semifinals versus Horton.
Consolation game
Valley Falls 53, Wathena 37
• The Dragons moved to 1-2 and were set to play Doniphan West for ninth place Thursday.
Girls
DVL Tourney
Play-in games
Troy def. Valley Falls
• The Dragons started the season 0-1.
McLouth 59, Doniphan West 29
• McLouth took a 34-20 halftime lead and put the game away in the third quarter to start the season 1-0. Senior Missy Rome scored 28 points and sophomore Terri Stewart scored 10 in the win for the Bulldogs.
Boys
DVL Tourney
Play-in games
Oskaloosa 63, JCN 51
• The Bears trailed by 7 at the half but tied the game by the end of the third quarter and pulled away for the win late to start the season 1-0. North started the season 0-1. Junior Levi Wade led the Bears with 25 points, junior Adam Bowser added 13 and senior Brandon Barnes scored 12 for Oskaloosa. Sophomore Billy Noll led the Chargers with 11 points.
McLouth 43, Troy 35
• The Bulldogs came back from a 4-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to win and start the season 1-0. Senior Cole Batman led the Bulldogs with 23 points.
Doniphan West def. Valley Falls
• The Dragons started the season 0-1.
Friday’s games (Dec. 4)
Girls
JCN 65, Maur Hill Mt. Academy 33
• The Chargers started the season 1-0. Sophomore Jordan Kramer led the way with 17 points while junior Katie Noll scored 16, senior Mallory GrandPre scored 12 and senior Sara Navinskey scored 11.
Perry-Lecompton 40, Bishop Ward 37
• The Kaws started the season 1-0.
Silver Lake 44, Jefferson West 30
• The Tigers had a 1-point halftime lead but it was all Eagles in the second half as West started 0-1. Senior BriAnna Ploude led the Tigers with 14 points.
ACCHS 49, Valley Falls 43
• The Dragons led by 5 at halftime but couldn’t hold on to drop to 0-2. Junior Abbey Kearney led the way for Valley Falls with 29 points.
St. Marys 40, McLouth 25
• McLouth dropped to 1-1 as St. Marys pulled away in the fourth quarter to win. Rome scored 11 points in the loss.
Boys
JCN 43, Maur Hill-Mt. Academy 36
• North was up 2 at halftime and got the win to move to 1-1. Junior Jeff Hale led the way with 27 points in the win.
ACCHS 47, Valley Falls 42
• The Dragons dropped to 0-2 as ACCHS took a 9-point halftime lead and made it stick. Junior Brooks Glassel scored 9 points to lead the Dragons.
Bishop Ward 56, Perry-Lec. 44
• The Kaws started the season 0-1.
Silver Lake 70, Jefferson West 59
• West trailed by 11 after one quarter but trimmed the lead to 6 entering the fourth quarter. Lake pulled away to drop the Tigers to 0-1. Senior Alex Baker scored 24 in the loss for West.
St. Marys 60, McLouth 36
• McLouth dropped to 1-1. Batman led the Bulldogs with 9 points.
Monday’s games (Dec. 7)
Girls
DVL Tourney
Quarterfinals
JCN 44, Troy 40
• The Chargers moved to 2-0 and were set to play KC Christian in Thursday’s semifinals.
Oskaloosa 51, McLouth 37
• The Bears moved to 1-0 and moved into the semifinals versus Horton.
Consolation game
Valley Falls 53, Wathena 37
• The Dragons moved to 1-2 and were set to play Doniphan West for ninth place Thursday.
ACCHS sweeps Dragon varsities
For one half, both the Valley Falls Dragons’ varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams had control of their first Friday night games of the season.
It was the other half that ended up being the problem in two narrow losses to the visitors from Atchison County Community High School. The Dragon boys ended up succumbing by 5 points while the girls ended up on the losing end of a 6-point margin.
For the Dragon boys, the first half was their downfall. The Tigers built a 6-0 lead to start the game and held the lead from there, although the Dragons closed the lead to 3 late in the quarter. A 3-pointer by Tigers sophomore Austin Eckert made the score 16-10 ACCHS after one quarter.
The Tigers had chances to stretch the lead to double digits in the second quarter as the Dragons went an extended period of time without scoring. Senior Chase Lederer drilled a 3-pointer with 1:23 to go in the half as the Dragons held the ACCHS lead to 9, 26-17, at halftime.
The Dragons came out of the locker room on a hot streak to start the second half as two scores by junior Alex Nottingham and, later, a 3-pointer by senior Tyler Wynkoop helped knot the score at 26. A Nottingham lay-in with 2:32 left in the quarter gave the Dragons their first lead of the game at 30-29. It was short-lived, however, as the Tigers ended the quarter on an 8-point run to take a 37-30 lead into the fourth quarter. Three late turnovers did the Dragons no favors in the run.
Midway through the final quarter, the Dragons had made no headway on the 7-point deficit and the lead eventually reached 10 points at 42-32. Three points by Dragons senior Riley Bunde trimmed into the lead, and a lay-in by junior Brooks Glassel cut the lead to 42-37 with 1:27 to play. The Dragons cut the lead to 3 on a late 3-pointer by sophomore Brock Watson but ACCHS junior Ryan Martin salted the game away with two free throws with 3 seconds left to make the final score 47-42 Tigers.
Eckert led the Tigers with 15 points while Martin added 10 in the win. Eckert and junior Blaze Hollands led the Tigers with 6 rebounds each. Martin also had 5 steals.
Valley Falls was led by 9 points from Glassel and 8 points each from Bunde and Nottingham. Bunde also pulled down 14 rebounds with 3 steals and 3 blocked shots in the loss. The Dragons outrebounded the Tigers, 28-27, but committed 20 turnovers compared to 17 from ACCHS.
Tiger girls 49, Dragons 43
The Dragons and junior guard Abbey Kearney ruled the first half of the game with ACCHS, but the Tigers surged back in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 6-point win.
Kearney scored 20 of her 29 points in the first half but the Dragons were outrebounded and outgunned in the game’s final minutes.
Kearney scored the Dragons’ first 10 points as they took a 10-5 lead midway through the opening quarter. A late 3-pointer from sophomore Macie Herrig helped the Dragons take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Tigers started the second quarter on a 9-1 run fueled by 4 points from sophomore Tara Jo Ellerman and a 3-pointer from senior Jennifer Harmon that gave the Tigers a 16-15 lead with 5:12 left in the half. Kearney snatched the lead back for the Dragons with a running jumper and then converted a 3-point play to give Valley Falls some breathing room at 20-16. Atchison County tied the score at 22, however, before the Dragons finished the half on a 5-point run thanks to 5 more points from Kearney to take a 29-24 lead into halftime.
Ellerman notched 4 points to start the third quarter but the Dragons clung to the lead until late in the quarter. An Ellerman jumper tied the game at 34 with 58 seconds left and a free throw by sophomore Katrina Reiss gave the Tigers a 35-34 lead entering the final quarter.
Neither team could pull ahead through the first part of the fourth quarter until an Ellerman jumper made it 39-36 Tigers with 4:48 to play. The Tigers stretched the lead to 5 but Kearney hit a 3-pointer with 1:58 left to cut the lead back to 2. The Dragons had two chances to tie the game but couldn’t cash in. Late Dragon shots wouldn’t fall and sophomore Brooke Fowler hit 5 free throws down the stretch to help the Tigers to the 49-43 win.
Ellerman led the way for ACCHS with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals while Harmon scored 12 points in the win.
The Dragons were led by 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks from Kearney. Only senior Bailey Sherretts joined Kearney with more than 5 points as she scored 7 for the Dragons. The Tigers outrebounded the Dragons, 28-22, and had 20 turnovers compared to 21 for Valley Falls.
It was the other half that ended up being the problem in two narrow losses to the visitors from Atchison County Community High School. The Dragon boys ended up succumbing by 5 points while the girls ended up on the losing end of a 6-point margin.
For the Dragon boys, the first half was their downfall. The Tigers built a 6-0 lead to start the game and held the lead from there, although the Dragons closed the lead to 3 late in the quarter. A 3-pointer by Tigers sophomore Austin Eckert made the score 16-10 ACCHS after one quarter.
The Tigers had chances to stretch the lead to double digits in the second quarter as the Dragons went an extended period of time without scoring. Senior Chase Lederer drilled a 3-pointer with 1:23 to go in the half as the Dragons held the ACCHS lead to 9, 26-17, at halftime.
The Dragons came out of the locker room on a hot streak to start the second half as two scores by junior Alex Nottingham and, later, a 3-pointer by senior Tyler Wynkoop helped knot the score at 26. A Nottingham lay-in with 2:32 left in the quarter gave the Dragons their first lead of the game at 30-29. It was short-lived, however, as the Tigers ended the quarter on an 8-point run to take a 37-30 lead into the fourth quarter. Three late turnovers did the Dragons no favors in the run.
Midway through the final quarter, the Dragons had made no headway on the 7-point deficit and the lead eventually reached 10 points at 42-32. Three points by Dragons senior Riley Bunde trimmed into the lead, and a lay-in by junior Brooks Glassel cut the lead to 42-37 with 1:27 to play. The Dragons cut the lead to 3 on a late 3-pointer by sophomore Brock Watson but ACCHS junior Ryan Martin salted the game away with two free throws with 3 seconds left to make the final score 47-42 Tigers.
Eckert led the Tigers with 15 points while Martin added 10 in the win. Eckert and junior Blaze Hollands led the Tigers with 6 rebounds each. Martin also had 5 steals.
Valley Falls was led by 9 points from Glassel and 8 points each from Bunde and Nottingham. Bunde also pulled down 14 rebounds with 3 steals and 3 blocked shots in the loss. The Dragons outrebounded the Tigers, 28-27, but committed 20 turnovers compared to 17 from ACCHS.
Tiger girls 49, Dragons 43
The Dragons and junior guard Abbey Kearney ruled the first half of the game with ACCHS, but the Tigers surged back in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 6-point win.
Kearney scored 20 of her 29 points in the first half but the Dragons were outrebounded and outgunned in the game’s final minutes.
Kearney scored the Dragons’ first 10 points as they took a 10-5 lead midway through the opening quarter. A late 3-pointer from sophomore Macie Herrig helped the Dragons take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Tigers started the second quarter on a 9-1 run fueled by 4 points from sophomore Tara Jo Ellerman and a 3-pointer from senior Jennifer Harmon that gave the Tigers a 16-15 lead with 5:12 left in the half. Kearney snatched the lead back for the Dragons with a running jumper and then converted a 3-point play to give Valley Falls some breathing room at 20-16. Atchison County tied the score at 22, however, before the Dragons finished the half on a 5-point run thanks to 5 more points from Kearney to take a 29-24 lead into halftime.
Ellerman notched 4 points to start the third quarter but the Dragons clung to the lead until late in the quarter. An Ellerman jumper tied the game at 34 with 58 seconds left and a free throw by sophomore Katrina Reiss gave the Tigers a 35-34 lead entering the final quarter.
Neither team could pull ahead through the first part of the fourth quarter until an Ellerman jumper made it 39-36 Tigers with 4:48 to play. The Tigers stretched the lead to 5 but Kearney hit a 3-pointer with 1:58 left to cut the lead back to 2. The Dragons had two chances to tie the game but couldn’t cash in. Late Dragon shots wouldn’t fall and sophomore Brooke Fowler hit 5 free throws down the stretch to help the Tigers to the 49-43 win.
Ellerman led the way for ACCHS with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals while Harmon scored 12 points in the win.
The Dragons were led by 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks from Kearney. Only senior Bailey Sherretts joined Kearney with more than 5 points as she scored 7 for the Dragons. The Tigers outrebounded the Dragons, 28-22, and had 20 turnovers compared to 21 for Valley Falls.
County boys basketball preview 2009
Only one county high school boys’ varsity basketball team could top a .500 winning percentage a year ago and the 2009-10 season dawns with each team facing its own set of challenges.
The 2008-09 season was a mediocre one at best for county boys’ teams as Perry-Lecompton led the way at 12-10, followed by Oskaloosa at 11-11, Valley Falls at 11-12, JCN at 10-12, Jefferson West at 6-14, and McLouth at 2-19.
All six teams got into action last week with middling results. Oskaloosa and McLouth were the two county teams to get wins to start the season as the Bears defeated county rival JCN and McLouth defeated Troy in play-in games to the DVL Preseason Tournament, which is set for this week in Oskaloosa.
Following is a capsule review of each team entering the season in order of finish last season.
Perry-Lecompton
Coach: Jeff Dickson, fifth year
Last season: 12-10
Whether it was the Kaw football team’s run to the state title game in 2008 or another factor, the Perry-Lecompton boys’ basketball team didn’t quite take the step forward Dickson was hoping for following a 19-3 record in 2007-08.
This year, he is faced with the task of reloading from the loss of a group of eight seniors, but Dickson said he feels the potential is there for another good season for the Kaws.
The Kaws have 28 players out for the team, including seven seniors. The main returnees in terms of experience are senior guard and forward Brad Phillips, senior point guard Riley Shafer, and senior guard Kameron Hurd, who averaged 14 points a game last season on the Kaw junior varsity despite saving some game time for the varsity side.
“We’ve been pretty successful in turning the program around,” Dickson said. “We’ve had three winning seasons in a row for the first time since the 1970s, and the kids are to the point where they play a lot in the summer. I think the team has some of the best senior leadership we’ve had. It’s way more positive in terms of feel than last year. There’s more of a friendly, team feel to it. That part’s exciting to me.”
Dickson is also counting on senior forward Shelby Politte, senior guard and forward Logan Hurd, senior guard Johnny Stewart and senior Brooks Christman to help lead the way on varsity. Some younger players in the varsity mix include sophomore guard Jeremy Immenshuch and sophomore post player Jon Denton.
“We’ve got some talented kids,” Dickson said. “The guys that have worked the best in the program are more of the blue-collar type. You have to work hard. The guys that are unwilling to do that fall by the wayside. You’ve got to play the summer games and lift the weights and put in some extra time.”
The Kaws fell to eventual 4A state champ and Kaw Valley League foe Basehor-Linwood in substate play to end last season and Dickson said Basehor, Mill Valley, Lansing, Turner and Piper to be the teams to beat in the Kaws’ last season in the KVL before moving to the Big Seven.
“Obviously you have to note Basehor-Linwood because they’re the defending champ and have a bunch back. A sleeper could be Santa Fe Trail. They’ve become a good rival to us in past seasons.”
Dickson said confidence building could be the key to how the Kaws do in the 2009-10 campaign.
“These kids have been doing the work, and I’d like to think they realize all that work is gonna pay off at some point. I think if we play hard every single time out, we should be right in games. They’ve dedicated themselves to proving something to people. Last season I think I underestimated how much effect that football run had on the team. We never got back to where I felt like we needed to be at. This year, I like the emotion of the team and how hard they’ve worked. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to the floor. I’m hoping for us that the payoff comes a little earlier this time.”
Oskaloosa
Coach: Rod Stottlemire, fifth year
Last season: 11-11
Stottlemire lost a crew of seven seniors but the cupboard isn’t quite bare for the Bears as they try to improve on an even record a season ago.
There are 24 players on the Bears’ squad, including five seniors. Stottlemire hopes to capitalize on a core of guards – junior Adam Bowser, senior Brandon Barnes and junior Levi Wade – for success this season.
“I think we’ll be OK at the guard spot,” Stottlemire said. “In the post, I think we’ll be OK in time, but we don’t have a lot of experience there. There may be nights we look good and other nights that we struggle.”
Joining that guard trio on the varsity roster are junior post player Sheldon Malicke, junior forward Braden McGinnis and senior guard Mitch Boucher. Stottlemire said sophomore forward Adam Brien and senior forward Kodey Martin may get worked into the rotation as the season progresses.
“I think you’ll see a team in February that is much different than how we were in December. It’s gonna be a tough go at times. We could be middle-of-the-pack.”
Stottlemire pointed to Pleasant Ridge, KC Christian and Valley Falls as the teams to beat in the Delaware Valley League this season.
“I think Valley Falls is kind of a dark horse this season,” Stottlemire said. “If things go right for them I could maybe see them winning the league.”
At least for the start of the season going into Christmas break, the focus at Oskaloosa is to get some experience and try and work out the kinks for a shot at a stretch run into substate.
“When you’re dealing with inexperience at a position, those are things you have to live through,” Stottlemire said. “There are times we may have a four-guard look on the floor, depending on what the other team has. There are times we won’t be able to do that. We have guards who can score the ball, and I think we’ll get a lot better ball movement this year. As far as points go, I think we’ll be OK, but rebounds and stuff like that, we’ve got to work on. We’re 2A this year, so that’s a little different too. I feel good about where we’re at.”
Valley Falls
Coach: Caleb Gatzemeyer, fifth year
Last season: 11-12
The improvement continued at Valley Falls last season as the Dragons followed up seasons of 0 and 7 wins with a near-even record at 11-12. Gatzemeyer returns five players who started at some point for that squad.
The 28-player squad at Valley Falls includes six seniors, including post standout Riley Bunde. Bunde will be joined in the starting rotation by junior guard and forward Alex Nottingham, junior forward Brooks Glassel, senior guard Mitchell Streeter, senior guard Tyler Wynkoop and senior point guard Chase Lederer. Gatzemeyer will have to await the return of senior guard Logan Wyn-koop, who broke his collarbone in the football team’s season-ending loss to St. Marys.
“I think with the nucleus we have coming back, we can fill the holes left by the seniors we lost,” Gatzemeyer said. “I think we’re in good shape, but it’ll be big when Logan gets back in there.”
Other players in the Dragons’ varsity mix include sophomore guard Brock Watson, senior guard Colby Herren, junior guard Nick Domann, junior post player Jordan Morrow and junior forward James Grey.
Gatzemeyer pointed to Pleasant Ridge as the Delaware Valley League frontrunner with KC Christian and Wathena also among the leaders. He didn’t shy away from touting his own squad as a potential leader in the DVL, and also cited Jefferson County North and coach Jim Brickell as a perennial team that is in the league lead hunt.
“I feel very confident about the team,” Gatzemeyer said. “Based on how the guys did over the summer, I think we can compete with anybody.”
Gatzemeyer said balance will hopefully give his team the edge this season.
“I feel the most confident in the balance of this team between our guards and post players,” he said. “We’ve been really solid in the post area in recent years but have had problems taking care of the ball. “This year the guards have really impressed me in the way they take good care of the ball. They really value it. We’ve got experienced seniors who have emerged as our leaders, and even the juniors who have had some varsity experience are stepping up. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve had some good practices leading up to the start of the season.”
Jefferson Co. North
Coach: Jim Brickell, 24th year
Last season: 10-12
An up-and-down season for Brickell and the Chargers ended slightly on the down side for North at two games below .500, but the longest-tenured county coach thinks his team has the athleticism to improve on that mark.
The Chargers’ squad of 24 players includes six seniors and Brickell gets some key experience back at the varsity level. Leading the way are senior forward Nick Clark, senior guard Austin Gaspard, junior guard Jeff Hale, senior forward Tyler Noll, and junior forward Spencer Wentz. Also set for varsity play are senior transfer Tyler Leakey from a Missouri high school and senior guard Cody McMahon.
“We’re a little more athletic and have a little more size than last year. We want to be able to run the ball up the floor. I still worry a little bit about us offensively. Our post guys are coming along, but we have to develop there.”
Brickell is also adding some youth to the mix potentially as four sophomores could see varsity time – post Dalton Minor, guard and forward Dominic Kingman, forward Billy Noll and guard James Priest. Brickell said freshmen forward Jacob GrandPre and guard Cory Noll also may get some varsity experience this season.
“I think we’ll be a little better defensive team than we’ve been,” Brickell said. “Hopefully we can get back to playing more man-to-man defense.”
Brickell pointed to Pleasant Ridge, KC Christian and Valley Falls as the teams to beat in the DVL and said he felt his team’s first opponent, Oskaloosa, could be a sleeper in the league race this season.
“I think Oskaloosa may be a little better than last season,” Brickell said. “I know we played them in summer ball and they thumped us, although we didn’t have a few of our key guys there.”
This year’s team is a work in progress going into the start of the season as Brickell said he hopes to have the team running at full strength by the time substate play rolls around.
“We’ve had good practices – our only problem is we’ve had some kids miss for various reasons,” he said. “We won’t be starting the lineup I think will be the starting lineup down the line. We added some conditioning drills we got from KU, and we’ll see how those work out for us. I don’t know that we’ll see the results immediately, but down the line I think they’ll help.”
Jefferson West
Coach: Matt Tinsley, second year
Last season: 6-14
Tinsley issued his returning Tigers a challenge following their substate loss a season ago, and he thinks the offseason regimen has been worth it.
The coach’s first season at the helm of the Tigers resulted in a 6-14 record in a tough Big Seven and 4A schedule. Only three seniors were lost, however, from that squad so the bulk of the varsity roster returns.
The Tigers have 28 players on the team, including seven seniors that make up half of a 14-player varsity and junior varsity pool. Leading returners include senior post player Alex Baker, junior post player Dillon Roy, who had his bright spots as a sophomore last season, and senior post player Tim Rhodd, who Tinsley is looking to as one of the vocal leaders of this year’s Tigers.
“We took a few positives from last season,” Tinsley said. “It was a rebuilding year. I told them at the end of last season we have to be better than that on the first day of practice this season, and they’ve done that. They’ve worked very hard all summer. We always look to our seniors for leadership and we’ve got seven great ones out this year.”
Added to the varsity rotation are senior post player Austin Siess, who missed last season because of injuries, senior guard Sam DeMaranville, senior guard Adam Fechter, senior guard Bryce Miller, junior guard Chance Higgins, and freshman point guard Cory Brown.
Tinsley knows the Tigers always have their work cut out for them with a Big Seven schedule. He is looking to Holton and Hiawatha as the teams to beat in the league this season.
“There’s never an easy game in this league. I think having a great senior class will give our younger kids more time to get seasoned on the junior varsity,” he said. “The kids know what I expect now and we can go out and continue to develop.”
The Tigers’ depth is one thing Tinsley pointed to as a strength of this year’s squad.
“We have a lot of kids who can play multiple positions,” Tinsley said. “I like who we have, although we’re still tinkering with the starting group. I feel like we’ve made a step forward from last season. I’m excited. The guys’ work ethic is great. We just want to build on what we did last year. The kids believe we can win. After a good football season, I think that confidence and competitive mentality has carried over.”
McLouth
Coach: Jason Schroeder, fourth year
Last season: 2-19
The Bulldogs and Schroeder took their lumps in a 2-win 2008-09 campaign, but a young team returns with only three seniors lost to graduation.
There are 22 players out for the Dawgs with only two seniors this season. Senior guard Cole Batman, who was one of the team’s leading scorers last season, is the main returnee along with sophomore forwards Gavin Swearngin and Alen Kramer, sophomore forward Alex Courtney and senior guard Tyler Drinnon.
“We’re still young team, but even though we’re young, we do have some experience back at the varsity level after last season,” Schroeder said. “I think we’ve got a lot better chemistry than we’ve had. The group all complements each other well.”
Added to the varsity rotation will be junior guard Derek Wright, sophomore guard Shawn Dailey, junior forward Trevor Roberts and sophomore forward Gentry Bignall. The youthfulness of the team may make for a roller coaster season but could also have benefits down the road for the Bulldogs.
“I expect another up and down season,” Schroeder said. “We’ll probably take some lumps. But everybody seems to know their role and are committed to it. We’ve got inside guys and outside guys and defensive guys. I think we’ve got a lot better in terms of ball handlers from the last two years. We’ve got three guys who can play point guard.”
Schroeder also pointed to Pleasant Ridge and KC Christian as the frontrunners in the DVL, and said Valley Falls, Jackson Heights, Oskaloosa and Horton could also be in the league title hunt.
As play began last week, Schroeder said he was ready to see how his team stacked up against the competition.
“We’ll see what we’ve got and how much we’ve grown,” he said. “The guys played together all summer and looked better, but we’ll see once we get into some games.”
The 2008-09 season was a mediocre one at best for county boys’ teams as Perry-Lecompton led the way at 12-10, followed by Oskaloosa at 11-11, Valley Falls at 11-12, JCN at 10-12, Jefferson West at 6-14, and McLouth at 2-19.
All six teams got into action last week with middling results. Oskaloosa and McLouth were the two county teams to get wins to start the season as the Bears defeated county rival JCN and McLouth defeated Troy in play-in games to the DVL Preseason Tournament, which is set for this week in Oskaloosa.
Following is a capsule review of each team entering the season in order of finish last season.
Perry-Lecompton
Coach: Jeff Dickson, fifth year
Last season: 12-10
Whether it was the Kaw football team’s run to the state title game in 2008 or another factor, the Perry-Lecompton boys’ basketball team didn’t quite take the step forward Dickson was hoping for following a 19-3 record in 2007-08.
This year, he is faced with the task of reloading from the loss of a group of eight seniors, but Dickson said he feels the potential is there for another good season for the Kaws.
The Kaws have 28 players out for the team, including seven seniors. The main returnees in terms of experience are senior guard and forward Brad Phillips, senior point guard Riley Shafer, and senior guard Kameron Hurd, who averaged 14 points a game last season on the Kaw junior varsity despite saving some game time for the varsity side.
“We’ve been pretty successful in turning the program around,” Dickson said. “We’ve had three winning seasons in a row for the first time since the 1970s, and the kids are to the point where they play a lot in the summer. I think the team has some of the best senior leadership we’ve had. It’s way more positive in terms of feel than last year. There’s more of a friendly, team feel to it. That part’s exciting to me.”
Dickson is also counting on senior forward Shelby Politte, senior guard and forward Logan Hurd, senior guard Johnny Stewart and senior Brooks Christman to help lead the way on varsity. Some younger players in the varsity mix include sophomore guard Jeremy Immenshuch and sophomore post player Jon Denton.
“We’ve got some talented kids,” Dickson said. “The guys that have worked the best in the program are more of the blue-collar type. You have to work hard. The guys that are unwilling to do that fall by the wayside. You’ve got to play the summer games and lift the weights and put in some extra time.”
The Kaws fell to eventual 4A state champ and Kaw Valley League foe Basehor-Linwood in substate play to end last season and Dickson said Basehor, Mill Valley, Lansing, Turner and Piper to be the teams to beat in the Kaws’ last season in the KVL before moving to the Big Seven.
“Obviously you have to note Basehor-Linwood because they’re the defending champ and have a bunch back. A sleeper could be Santa Fe Trail. They’ve become a good rival to us in past seasons.”
Dickson said confidence building could be the key to how the Kaws do in the 2009-10 campaign.
“These kids have been doing the work, and I’d like to think they realize all that work is gonna pay off at some point. I think if we play hard every single time out, we should be right in games. They’ve dedicated themselves to proving something to people. Last season I think I underestimated how much effect that football run had on the team. We never got back to where I felt like we needed to be at. This year, I like the emotion of the team and how hard they’ve worked. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to the floor. I’m hoping for us that the payoff comes a little earlier this time.”
Oskaloosa
Coach: Rod Stottlemire, fifth year
Last season: 11-11
Stottlemire lost a crew of seven seniors but the cupboard isn’t quite bare for the Bears as they try to improve on an even record a season ago.
There are 24 players on the Bears’ squad, including five seniors. Stottlemire hopes to capitalize on a core of guards – junior Adam Bowser, senior Brandon Barnes and junior Levi Wade – for success this season.
“I think we’ll be OK at the guard spot,” Stottlemire said. “In the post, I think we’ll be OK in time, but we don’t have a lot of experience there. There may be nights we look good and other nights that we struggle.”
Joining that guard trio on the varsity roster are junior post player Sheldon Malicke, junior forward Braden McGinnis and senior guard Mitch Boucher. Stottlemire said sophomore forward Adam Brien and senior forward Kodey Martin may get worked into the rotation as the season progresses.
“I think you’ll see a team in February that is much different than how we were in December. It’s gonna be a tough go at times. We could be middle-of-the-pack.”
Stottlemire pointed to Pleasant Ridge, KC Christian and Valley Falls as the teams to beat in the Delaware Valley League this season.
“I think Valley Falls is kind of a dark horse this season,” Stottlemire said. “If things go right for them I could maybe see them winning the league.”
At least for the start of the season going into Christmas break, the focus at Oskaloosa is to get some experience and try and work out the kinks for a shot at a stretch run into substate.
“When you’re dealing with inexperience at a position, those are things you have to live through,” Stottlemire said. “There are times we may have a four-guard look on the floor, depending on what the other team has. There are times we won’t be able to do that. We have guards who can score the ball, and I think we’ll get a lot better ball movement this year. As far as points go, I think we’ll be OK, but rebounds and stuff like that, we’ve got to work on. We’re 2A this year, so that’s a little different too. I feel good about where we’re at.”
Valley Falls
Coach: Caleb Gatzemeyer, fifth year
Last season: 11-12
The improvement continued at Valley Falls last season as the Dragons followed up seasons of 0 and 7 wins with a near-even record at 11-12. Gatzemeyer returns five players who started at some point for that squad.
The 28-player squad at Valley Falls includes six seniors, including post standout Riley Bunde. Bunde will be joined in the starting rotation by junior guard and forward Alex Nottingham, junior forward Brooks Glassel, senior guard Mitchell Streeter, senior guard Tyler Wynkoop and senior point guard Chase Lederer. Gatzemeyer will have to await the return of senior guard Logan Wyn-koop, who broke his collarbone in the football team’s season-ending loss to St. Marys.
“I think with the nucleus we have coming back, we can fill the holes left by the seniors we lost,” Gatzemeyer said. “I think we’re in good shape, but it’ll be big when Logan gets back in there.”
Other players in the Dragons’ varsity mix include sophomore guard Brock Watson, senior guard Colby Herren, junior guard Nick Domann, junior post player Jordan Morrow and junior forward James Grey.
Gatzemeyer pointed to Pleasant Ridge as the Delaware Valley League frontrunner with KC Christian and Wathena also among the leaders. He didn’t shy away from touting his own squad as a potential leader in the DVL, and also cited Jefferson County North and coach Jim Brickell as a perennial team that is in the league lead hunt.
“I feel very confident about the team,” Gatzemeyer said. “Based on how the guys did over the summer, I think we can compete with anybody.”
Gatzemeyer said balance will hopefully give his team the edge this season.
“I feel the most confident in the balance of this team between our guards and post players,” he said. “We’ve been really solid in the post area in recent years but have had problems taking care of the ball. “This year the guards have really impressed me in the way they take good care of the ball. They really value it. We’ve got experienced seniors who have emerged as our leaders, and even the juniors who have had some varsity experience are stepping up. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve had some good practices leading up to the start of the season.”
Jefferson Co. North
Coach: Jim Brickell, 24th year
Last season: 10-12
An up-and-down season for Brickell and the Chargers ended slightly on the down side for North at two games below .500, but the longest-tenured county coach thinks his team has the athleticism to improve on that mark.
The Chargers’ squad of 24 players includes six seniors and Brickell gets some key experience back at the varsity level. Leading the way are senior forward Nick Clark, senior guard Austin Gaspard, junior guard Jeff Hale, senior forward Tyler Noll, and junior forward Spencer Wentz. Also set for varsity play are senior transfer Tyler Leakey from a Missouri high school and senior guard Cody McMahon.
“We’re a little more athletic and have a little more size than last year. We want to be able to run the ball up the floor. I still worry a little bit about us offensively. Our post guys are coming along, but we have to develop there.”
Brickell is also adding some youth to the mix potentially as four sophomores could see varsity time – post Dalton Minor, guard and forward Dominic Kingman, forward Billy Noll and guard James Priest. Brickell said freshmen forward Jacob GrandPre and guard Cory Noll also may get some varsity experience this season.
“I think we’ll be a little better defensive team than we’ve been,” Brickell said. “Hopefully we can get back to playing more man-to-man defense.”
Brickell pointed to Pleasant Ridge, KC Christian and Valley Falls as the teams to beat in the DVL and said he felt his team’s first opponent, Oskaloosa, could be a sleeper in the league race this season.
“I think Oskaloosa may be a little better than last season,” Brickell said. “I know we played them in summer ball and they thumped us, although we didn’t have a few of our key guys there.”
This year’s team is a work in progress going into the start of the season as Brickell said he hopes to have the team running at full strength by the time substate play rolls around.
“We’ve had good practices – our only problem is we’ve had some kids miss for various reasons,” he said. “We won’t be starting the lineup I think will be the starting lineup down the line. We added some conditioning drills we got from KU, and we’ll see how those work out for us. I don’t know that we’ll see the results immediately, but down the line I think they’ll help.”
Jefferson West
Coach: Matt Tinsley, second year
Last season: 6-14
Tinsley issued his returning Tigers a challenge following their substate loss a season ago, and he thinks the offseason regimen has been worth it.
The coach’s first season at the helm of the Tigers resulted in a 6-14 record in a tough Big Seven and 4A schedule. Only three seniors were lost, however, from that squad so the bulk of the varsity roster returns.
The Tigers have 28 players on the team, including seven seniors that make up half of a 14-player varsity and junior varsity pool. Leading returners include senior post player Alex Baker, junior post player Dillon Roy, who had his bright spots as a sophomore last season, and senior post player Tim Rhodd, who Tinsley is looking to as one of the vocal leaders of this year’s Tigers.
“We took a few positives from last season,” Tinsley said. “It was a rebuilding year. I told them at the end of last season we have to be better than that on the first day of practice this season, and they’ve done that. They’ve worked very hard all summer. We always look to our seniors for leadership and we’ve got seven great ones out this year.”
Added to the varsity rotation are senior post player Austin Siess, who missed last season because of injuries, senior guard Sam DeMaranville, senior guard Adam Fechter, senior guard Bryce Miller, junior guard Chance Higgins, and freshman point guard Cory Brown.
Tinsley knows the Tigers always have their work cut out for them with a Big Seven schedule. He is looking to Holton and Hiawatha as the teams to beat in the league this season.
“There’s never an easy game in this league. I think having a great senior class will give our younger kids more time to get seasoned on the junior varsity,” he said. “The kids know what I expect now and we can go out and continue to develop.”
The Tigers’ depth is one thing Tinsley pointed to as a strength of this year’s squad.
“We have a lot of kids who can play multiple positions,” Tinsley said. “I like who we have, although we’re still tinkering with the starting group. I feel like we’ve made a step forward from last season. I’m excited. The guys’ work ethic is great. We just want to build on what we did last year. The kids believe we can win. After a good football season, I think that confidence and competitive mentality has carried over.”
McLouth
Coach: Jason Schroeder, fourth year
Last season: 2-19
The Bulldogs and Schroeder took their lumps in a 2-win 2008-09 campaign, but a young team returns with only three seniors lost to graduation.
There are 22 players out for the Dawgs with only two seniors this season. Senior guard Cole Batman, who was one of the team’s leading scorers last season, is the main returnee along with sophomore forwards Gavin Swearngin and Alen Kramer, sophomore forward Alex Courtney and senior guard Tyler Drinnon.
“We’re still young team, but even though we’re young, we do have some experience back at the varsity level after last season,” Schroeder said. “I think we’ve got a lot better chemistry than we’ve had. The group all complements each other well.”
Added to the varsity rotation will be junior guard Derek Wright, sophomore guard Shawn Dailey, junior forward Trevor Roberts and sophomore forward Gentry Bignall. The youthfulness of the team may make for a roller coaster season but could also have benefits down the road for the Bulldogs.
“I expect another up and down season,” Schroeder said. “We’ll probably take some lumps. But everybody seems to know their role and are committed to it. We’ve got inside guys and outside guys and defensive guys. I think we’ve got a lot better in terms of ball handlers from the last two years. We’ve got three guys who can play point guard.”
Schroeder also pointed to Pleasant Ridge and KC Christian as the frontrunners in the DVL, and said Valley Falls, Jackson Heights, Oskaloosa and Horton could also be in the league title hunt.
As play began last week, Schroeder said he was ready to see how his team stacked up against the competition.
“We’ll see what we’ve got and how much we’ve grown,” he said. “The guys played together all summer and looked better, but we’ll see once we get into some games.”
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