Napavine's Kenya Lorton splits the defense to put up a shot against Toledo during Central 2B girls basketball action Wednesday in Toledo.
Morton-White Pass' Kylie Allen goes up for a shot as St. George's Madie Ward defends on the play during the first quarter of a State 2B Girls Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game at the Spokane Veterans Arena on Thursday afternoon.
It’s going to come down to experience in the Central 2B League this year and the two teams with the most of it are Toutle Lake and Wahkiakum.
The Ducks return all-leaguers Samantha Woodley, Makala Gardner, Bailey Hockett and most of the starters from a team that advanced to the State 2B championship game last year before falling to Colfax. Toutle Lake had gone 25-0 before that loss and will be hungry once again.
“Their guards are quick and understand the game of basketball,” Adna coach Chris Bannish said of the Ducks.
Another team full of experience is Wahkiakum, with athletes are fresh off a run to the State 2B volleyball championship game. The Mules return all-leaguers Baylee Olsen and Tori Wegdahl and will be looking to challenge the Ducks for the top spot in the Central 2B.
“Wahkiakum is in the same boat,” Mossyrock coach Tori Nelson. “The teams that didn’t lose much will dominate the league this year.”
And while Toutle Lake and Wahkiakum look like they’re going to be the top dogs, it’s going to be a crowded kennel.
“We got a 10-team league and I think there’s eight or nine teams in this league that are pretty darn good,” Morton-White Pass coach Darin Allen said. “The top four, if you look at them, all made state volleyball, all got returning players and more are coming in. So I think every night’s gonna be a tough, tough night.”
The biggest threat to the Ducks and Mules will be the speedy Napavine Tigers, who return last year starters Kenya Lorton, Grace Hamre and Karlee Bornstein. Lorton was an all-league standout for the Tigers, who advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs last year with a 13-12 record last year.
“I dont have a senior on the team,” Napavine coach Jeremy Landram said. “The girls worked quite a bit together this summer. We’re going to be very guard-oriented and we’re going to try to get up and down the court, play pretty fast uptempo and try to negate our height disadvantaged by relying on our pressure.”
The Tigers also return Jessica Mendez Riaz and welcome newcomers Molly Olson, Melissa Less and Rylee White, who should be solid contributors.
Speaking of speed, Adna won’t be lacking any of that after returning seven of their players including senior Regyn Gaffney, who already has a slew of state track championships under her belt in the sprints. Gaffney averaged 8 points per game last year while first team all-leaguer Shanay Dotson notched 12 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Point guard Cheyenne Gilberton will run the Adna offense after scoring over six points per game last year, while Grace Elliot (9.4 points per game) and Samantha Rolfe (4.7 points) should make the Pirates hard to stop.
After finishing sixth at state last year with Central 2B League MVP and senior Ashley Kelley, Morton-White Pass will be reloading be should still be considered dangerous. Christine Robbins (6 points, 6 rebounds a game) is the Timberwolves’ sole returning starter but head coach Darin Allen likes what he sees from the girls already stepping up.
Sharon Hazen and Kylie Allen were players on the team during their state run last year as were Haley Kolb, Jenessa Walton, Colby Armstrong and senior Taylor Brooks.
“I love their attitude,” Allen said. “I think they want success, so that’s a positive for us. They’ve been there and they want to get back now.”
After going winless last season, Mossyrock looks to be an up-and-comer returning all-league guard Calli Hensch and forward Kelsie Moorcroft. Just a few games into 2014 they’ve already surpassed their offensive output from last year. Hensch led the Vikings in every major statistical category last year and will be a big part of her team’s success.
Randi Jo Smith and Clementine Schultz also return for Mossyrock. Newcomers Stephanie Fried, Paige Moorcroft, Ava Nelson and Chelsea Petrino join a squad that should be tall and fast. They’ll also have a chip on their shoulder, trying to prove that last season was nothing more than a memory.
Newcomer Toledo returns three starters from last year’s seven-win team. The Rice sisters will be potent combo as Casee averaged 11 points per game and Chaselin averaged 8 points per game. They return seven letterwinners total and should have plenty of depth, as should Onalaska which returns a whopping nine starters from last season’s three-win team.
The Loggers will showcase speedy guard Staci Vint and a junior class of returners including Maddy Dalsted, Nicolle Duryea, and Gabby Wright.
Pe Ell was 13-13 last season but lost All-League guard Kayla Capps. They do, however, return Alyssa and Hailey Compton who both averaged roughly 6 points and 5 rebounds a game last year.
Second-year coach Chris Phelps expects the Trojans to be very versatile on offense and a good group of solid defenders.
Winlock, who finished last season with six wins, will return starter Rianna Whitehead, along with letterwinners Mika Hammond and Sophia Velasco to a guard-heavy team.
