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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 14, 2004 Tornado No. 1, Grizz No. 2 in SOC girls poll By Kevin Goff For the Tidings A savvy point guard, brute force on the interior and senior leadership galore grace the North Medford lineup. Ashland high senior guard Alysse Carlson goes up for a jumper during Saturday's loss to Summit. Ashland was voted the No. 2 team in the Southern Oregon Conference in the SOC preseason coaches poll. Andrew Mariman | The Associated Press With all the pieces to make a run deep into the postseason, it's no wonder the eighth-ranked Black Tornado is an overwhelming favorite to claim its first-ever Southern Oregon Conference girls basketball title. North, which received seven first-place votes in a poll of the league's coaches, returns four seniors - all of them start - and boasts a wealth of up-and-coming lower classmen. "North is as good as any team to come out of the conference in a long time," says Crater coach Scott Dippel, whose team won the SOC last season and is picked to finish third this year. "They have a lot of kids with three or four years of varsity experience. "I really feel like they are definitely the favorites right now." Third-year North coach Tim Karrick has his team off to a 5-0 start. All 11 players on the roster can see time on any given night in the Tornado's fast-breaking attack. "We definitely want to push the ball," says Karrick, whose team finished second in the SOC a year ago at 12-2. "I think it's a talented group, and sizewise it may be the best group from top to bottom I've had. "I'm excited to see how things go." How things go may rest on the shoulders of Kailey Bostwick. The athletic, 5-foot-6 senior point guard, who has started in all four seasons at North and was a first-team all-SOC pick a year ago, can score in bunches and set up her teammates. "Kailey's a very good ballplayer," says Karrick. "She's very unselfish ... sometimes a little too unselfish. She's always looking to set everybody else up." Bostwick teams with fellow seniors and returning starters Mellisa Eastwold, Michelle Westermann and Caitlin Seeley. Erica Schultz, a 5-10 freshman post, will also see time in the starting lineup. Bostwick and Westermann have a certain chemistry on the court that is hard to match. "They've played like 200 games together," says Karrick, estimating the combined contests in high school and summer ball. "They definitely have a good feel for what each other is going to do." While picking the top team heading into the SOC slate was a slam dunk for conference coaches, the rest of the field wasn't quite as easy. Ashland was a narrow pick for second place ahead of Crater, while South Medford was chosen to finish fourth, just two points ahead of Roseburg. Grants Pass, which received a first-place vote, was picked to take sixth, and Klamath Union (seventh) and Eagle Point (eighth) rounded out the pecking order. "North, for sure, is above and beyond everybody else," says fourth-year Roseburg coach Bob Feasel. "But beyond that, it could be anyone fighting for those last few (playoff) spots. I think every school will be improved." Ashland has a new coach and lost some important players from last year's third-place finish, but the talent well is far from dry. Ken Lathen replaces Steve Humann, who resigned after two seasons as the Grizzlies' coach. Lathen, who retired from coaching after the 2003 season at Grants Pass, inherits senior guard Alysse Carlson, the only other returning all-SOC first- teamer besides Bostwick. "This is a fun crew to work with," says Lathen. "They're not going to be flashy, but they'll be solid and work hard." Ashland lost leading scorer Hilary Huyett, who transferred to Lincoln for her senior season, and sophomore Whitney Chase, who moved to Oregon City. Maddison Thivierge didn't turn out and is concentrating on club volleyball. Crater also has some holes to fill. But, led by senior post Jessica Wasniewski and an abundance of talent in the lower classes, the Comets may make another run at the conference crown. "I think a different kid could star for us on any given night," says Dippel. "They're a very unselfish group. They're not as concerned with team stats as they are with winning." South Medford returns everyone from a team that struggled at times and finished sixth in league play last season. But senior Katie Singler, a four-year varsity competitor, returns along with fellow seniors Brittany Farrer and Casey Martin and junior Marissa Towry. The Panthers grappled to find the right chemistry at the beginning of the season but have since taken off. "We've really improved across the board," says South's Andrea Jaime, the SOC's longest-tenured coach in her eighth year. "We came in with a much-improved attitude and the girls have bought into the system we have in place. "I'm very pleased with their effort so far." Roseburg sports one of the better scorers in junior Shayla Corder and could be a wild card in the race for one of the four state-playoff berths. Grants Pass, meanwhile, is a bit of an unknown. The Cavers (2-0) are off on the right foot behind wing Kori Seymour. But can they pull off a repeat of last season's fourth-place finish in the SOC? "I'm still waiting to see which kids will step up," says GP coach Robert Lingo. Klamath Union lacks size but makes up for with a lineup that features seven seniors - one of them being high-scoring Jenni Ritter - and two juniors. Senior Salina Sychla leads a rebuilding Eagle Point team under first-year coach Rob Kleker. The tight voting results - six points separate fourth-place South from seventh-place Klamath Union - emphasizes the parity heading into the first night of conference play on Jan. 4. "You know, after North, I think there'll be six teams fighting for three spots," says Lingo. "It'll be fun to see what happens. There's definitely not going to be any nights off." DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's Slippers men's slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Memory Foam Mattress college loans alternative student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation trillion cut diamonds Currancy Exchange Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. 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