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Crater's Pool, Denson share nod as top SOC players By DON HUNT Mail Tribune They will quite possibly go down as the top two players in Southern Oregon Conference girls basketball history. Some are suggesting they are the most talented pair of female players on one team in state history. Their Crater High careers are coming to a close, but the honors and accolades are just beginning for Amy Denson and Sarah Pool. Denson and Pool. Pool and Denson. In either order, the dynamic duo have been the dominant players in the SOC this season and, appropriately enough, they've been named co-players of the year in the conference. "They're the two most highly-recruited girls in the state - they're the two best, bottom line," says Crater coach David Heard, whose team went 14-0 in conference play. Denson, a 6-foot-1 senior post, is averaging 20.7 points and 11.5 rebounds while Pool, a 5-8 point guard, is hitting at a 20.5-point, 8.3-assist clip for the No. 2-ranked Comets, who will head to the Class 4A state tournament next week with a 23-1 record. Rounding out the first team selected by the SOC coaches were Ashland's Marla Morin, Roseburg's Lindsey Heard and Shannon Burmeister, Klamath Union's Megan Leppert and South Medford's Whitney Grant. Roseburg first-year coach Bob Feasel was selected the SOC coach of the year. "This is the end of a perfect season in conference play," Denson says. "It would have been fine with me to see Sarah get it (player of the year) but I'm thrilled to share it." Denson, with 497 points and Pool, with 491, are a near cinch to surpass 1,000 points between them, an accomplishment Heard calls "amazing, when you think about it." But scoring is merely one element of their games. Denson, who was recruited by dozens of Division I colleges before settling on Arizona State, is a terror on the boards, a tenacious defender and a more-than-capable ball-handler who isn't afraid to dribble the length of the floor. Pool's trademark the past three seasons has been her spectacular passing. She will finish her career with more than 500 assists, including more than 200 this season. But Pool worked hard on her 3-point shooting in the offseason and it has paid off to the tune of 62 treys (in 130 attempts). "I spend an hour or two, five or six days a week just shooting the ball (outside of practice)," says Pool, who is headed to Cal-Berkeley on a scholarship. "My dad rebounds and I shoot. It's really paid off." Pool has also worked with a personal trainer that helped her shed 10 pounds and increase her speed and quickness. "I have a lot more energy and the game is more fun," Pool says. "One thing that motivated me was that after earning my scholarship I wanted to become the best player I could when I get down there (Berkeley)." Ashland's Morin, meanwhile, blossomed into one of the state's top post players while leading Ashland to an unexpected state playoff berth. The 6-foot junior averaged 18.7 points per game. Roseburg's Heard and Burmeister combined for nearly 26 points a game, while Leppert was a bright star in a dark season for Klamath Union, averaging 15.4 points on a team that won only two conference games. Grant became South Medford's all-time leader in assists and steals and led the Panthers in scoring with a 14.4 average. More importantly, she led them to a third-place finish in the SOC and a third straight berth in the state playoffs. The all-conference team was chosen by the SOC coaches at a meeting in Ashland on Saturday. FIRST TEAM Amy Denson Crater 6-1 Sr. Sarah Pool Crater 5-8 Sr. Marla Morin Ashland 6-0 Jr. Lindsey Heard Roseburg 6-2 Sr. Whitney Grant South Medford 5-6 Sr. Megan Leppert Klamath Union 5-11 Sr. Shannon Burmesiter Roseburg 6-1 Sr. Co-players of the Year - Amy Denson, Crater, and Sarah Pool, Crater. Coach of the Year - Bob Feasel, Roseburg SECOND TEAM Kirsten Gillingham South Medford 5-11 Sr. Megan Moon Grants Pass 5-10 Sr. Alison Klingel Grants Pass 5-8 Sr. Dani Rouhier Eagle Point 6-2 Jr. Kerstin Mellbye North Medford 6-2 Jr. THIRD TEAM Brittany Hodges North Medford 5-8 So. Jori Grady Roseburg 5-11 Jr. Sarah Yager Crater 5-7 Sr. Addie Wiersma Crater 5-10 Sr. Alysse Carlson Ashland 5-6 Fr. Honorable Mention - Ashley Curtis, Eagle Point, So.; Whitney Black, Crater, So.; Alisa Lee, Eagle Point, Jr.; Crystal Huntley, Crater, Jr.; Beth Mueller, South Medford, Jr.; Steffani Talbott, Ashland, Jr.; Katie Singler, South Medford, Fr.; Kailey Bostwick, North Medford, Fr.; Katie Robertson, Crater, So. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.