State BB: Bearcats Match Up Against Fast-Paced Cedarcrest in Yakima

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     Don’t call them a polar opposite, but W.F. West’s first-round opponent at the State 2A Girls Basketball Tournament, Cedarcrest (22-3), does have a different way of doing things than the Bearcats.

     “Most people would describe us as disciplined offensively and defensively,” W.F. West coach Henri Weeks said. “[Cedarcrest] really wants to get up the floor and run. They look for the quickest and earliest opening for a shot. They also like to leak out their guards to get some transition buckets and they’ve hurt some teams with that.”

     The good news for the 20-4 Bearcats is that they’ve handled teams with similar strategies before.

     “It’s not something we have to adjust our kids to,” Weeks said. “They’re good at transition defense and our guards are disciplined and make sure to get back and not give up layups. We’ll let our bigs rebound in this game and we’ll make sure our guards get back.”

     W.F. West will be looking to contain senior post Kailyn Campbell, who at 6-foot-1 is averaging 12.9 points per game.

     “She does play down in the key but her strength is facing the basket,” Weeks said.

     Junior guard Susan Kenney is also the play-maker for the Redwolves, and she’s averaging 14.2 points per game.



     “She’s what I would describe as a creator and she creates a lot of things,” Weeks said.

     W.F. West, has been in this position before. The competition will be tough, however, with Weeks expecting Burlington-Edison (20-3), Mark Morris (22-2) and his own squad to be among the top teams.

     “Burlington has a bit more balance,” Weeks said. “It’s a team that will try and out physical you. Great defense, they press a lot. Mark Morris is more guard-oriented and those two teams look pretty strong.”

     The majority of the Bearcats’ main rotation has state tournament experience from the past two seasons. W.F. West finished in sixth place last year, but has higher aspirations this season.

     “Experience. That is our biggest asset right now,” Weeks said. “Only one kid on the roster has not been over there and that’s one of the big things we have going for us. They’re familiar with it.”

     W.F. West tips off with Cedarcrest at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Yakima Sundome.