One of the most decorated classes to come through W.F. West High School put together a resume that stands alone. Two district titles, three state tournament appearances and a state trophy. Plus, they dominated the Evergreen Conference year in and year out.
Julia Dalan, Amanda Bennett and Grace Simpson won’t be walking through the door in the stylish pinstripe warmup pants and a white jersey.
Is a step back on the horizon?
Think again.
“It can be any girl on any night,” W.F. West head coach Kyle Karnofski said. “We got a lot of options, which is cool.”
All-area and first team all-league guard Dilyn Boeck headlines a roster buoyed by a deep bench that will be put to the test in attempting to get back to the Class 2A state tournament in Yakima.
Regardless of the personnel, Karnofski’s top goal is to play on Saturday – the final day inside the SunDome – and leave with a trophy.
The players understand it’s been the standard. And they aren’t thinking about missing out on hardware.
“We’re gonna peak right where we need to,” Boeck said.
One of the factors at least early in the season for W.F. West has been how often it has gone to its bench for a spark. Izzy Teeter, Madi McManus and freshman Mallory Gaskill have all played vital roles on each end of the floor.
Even with a group that has just five seniors, the Bearcats’ defensive scheme of pressing and causing passing lane turnovers won’t change.
“We’ll have a lot of different defenses,” junior Joy Cushman said.
Cushman is back on the roster after missing all of last season with a partial tear of her achilles. Her presence plus the continued development of Kaitlyn Chloupek have ushered in a scoring three alongside Boeck.
For her part, Boeck was incredibly giddy to have Cushman back.
“When she first told me I was coming back, I jumped for joy,” Boeck said. “Literally and figuratively.”
Cushman has scored in double digits in the majority of W.F. West’s early season 4-2 start. Her younger sister, Drees Cushman, is the new post to replace Dalan.
Karnofski, Boeck and the elder Cushman all feel her experience as the season progresses will be vital for how far the Bearcats go.
“She is a cool player; got the ability to block shots and make a jumper,” Karnofski said. “She’s asking really good questions. That is going to be the future.”
“She has what it takes,” Boeck added.
The league itself has been dominated by W.F. West. It might be more competitive this year with Black Hills and Centralia having two combined losses plus Shelton, even in 3A, will factor into the equation.
“A lot of people are underestimating us a lot,” Joy Cushman said.
Still, the only thing that matters to the Bearcats is taking it day-by-day, game-by-game and practice-by-practice.
History speaks for itself that the program finds a way into the final 16. It’s one of the reasons Karnofski still feels this version of W.F. West will be back in a familiar spot.
“It is a luxury to play deep, we haven't done that in three years,” he said. “There’s gonna be games where other kids get in that mix. It depends on matchups, who plays well together.”
