Document text
Comets will be streaking Crater boasts a lineup full of guards and is bent on running other teams ragged in hopes of returning to the state championship game By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Grab your stopwatch: Here comes the Crater High girls basketball team. The 2001-2002 Comets are a track team in sneakers, and coach David Heard can't wait for the races - or games - to begin. "We're going to run and press for 32 minutes every game," Heard says. "Our goal is to put up a lot of points and wear teams out." The Comets went 25-2 last season and finished runner-up at the Class 4A state tournament. They had one of the biggest front lines in the state and were perfectly content to play half-court basketball and grind opponents into submission with their physical play. But that was then. And this is now. Starting posts Jody McLeod and Bre Johnson and shooting guard Janelle Sapienza have graduated, and the Comets now find themselves with essentially four guards on the floor to augment 6-foot-1 Amy Denson. "We're the total opposite of what we were last season," says Heard, who says he had 15 half-court plays last year but claims to have none this season. "I want our girls to shoot the ball within three passes, and that includes the outlet pass. "People are asking, are you as good as last year? I don't know. But I do know this - we're going to have fun playing this style and we're going to be fun to watch." The Comets were a unanimous pick by the SOC coaches to win the conference championship for the sixth time in seven years. Roseburg, which has a new coach but many of the same players back from last season's squad that went 12-12, was picked to finish second. South Medford was penciled in for third, while Grants Pass and North Medford tied for fourth in the preseason poll. Adding intrigue to the SOC season, which kicks off on Dec. 14, is that four new head coaches will be holding clipboards this winter: Roseburg's Bob Feasel, Ashland's Stephanie Santos, Eagle Point's Bob Kleker and Klamath Union's Brandon Jensen. Crater's only two starters back are Denson, who is headed to Arizona State on a scholarship, and 5-7 senior point guard Sarah Pool, who got a full ride to California. But realistically, the Comets have two other starters back in 5-7 senior shooting guard Sarah Yager and 5-9 senior strong forward Addie Wiersma. Both started two years ago when the Comets posted a 24-4 record and also advanced to the state championship game. Yager missed last season for health reasons, and Wiersma simply decided to skip a year. "I almost forgot how good they are," Heard says of Yager and Wiersma. "They're both great defensive players with excellent court sense, and Sarah is one of the best outside shooters in the league." The other starter is 5-9 junior Erin Kinney, a three-sport athlete who Heard says "will surprise people." But while the Comets' starting lineup is as strong as any around, it's their quality depth that will enable them to run and press for an entire game. Guards Whitney Black and Kelsey Anhorn, forward Katie Robertson and centers Crystal Huntley and Nichollette LeBel all figure to see the floor on a consistent basis. LeBel was a first-team, all-conference and honorable mention all-state performer in the recently-completed volleyball season. "She's a very athletic kid, and this system really fits her because she can run," Heard says of LeBel. "We're 10 deep. These girls are all going to be getting at least 15 to 18 minutes per game." If the Comets do find themselves in half-court situations, the ball will often go to Denson, who can power her way to the basket or pull up for jump shots with equal adeptness. Denson led the Comets in scoring at 15 points per game last season and also hauled down eight rebounds per outing. "We're doing a lot with her offensively this season," Heard says. "No post player in the state can match up with her." Pool also seems ready for a huge season. Known for her superb ball-handling skills, no-look passes and clutch shooting, Pool has worked hard to get in better shape this season. "She's a different person," Heard says. "She worked with a personal trainer in the off-season, and she came to practice in the best shape of her life. She's probably lost six or eight pounds and she's winning most of our wind sprints in practice. Last year, she was near the back." Roseburg, meanwhile, could be the most improved team in the SOC. The Indians return two standout starters in 6-1 senior post Shannon Burmeister and 6-2 wing/post Lindsey Heard, they've got several other experienced players and they brought in Feasel from nearby Douglas High to coach the team. Feasel posted a 67-13 record in three years at Douglas and guided the Trojans to a third-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament in 2000. "This group (Roseburg) underachieved last season and we plan to put a stop to that," says Feasel, whose new team opened its season with a win over Thurston last Friday but lost the following night to Springfield. "We spent a lot of time talking about that. These girls are motivated to turn this thing around." Burmeister, who was a first-team, all-state volleyball player and is headed to San Jose State on a scholarship in that sport, has caught on quickly to Feasel's coaching. "She's got a nose for the game," Feasel says. "She's going to carry us on the low block." The other starters are likely to be sophomore Katie Stephens at point guard and senior Lacy Bartholomew and junior Jori Grady at the wings. The Indians have five players 6 feet or taller on their roster, but Feasel admits the team needs to sharpen its ball-handling skills. South Medford lost four starters and five seniors off last season's team that finished 16-10 and advanced to the Class 4A state tournament, but coach Andrea Wegner welcomes back star point guard Whitney Grant, cat-quick off-guard Natasha Wright and a supporting cast that could surprise people. "Some people would say that we're starting over, but I don't look at it that way," says Wegner, who has guided the Panthers into the state playoffs the past two years. "We've got a handful of kids who saw at least some varsity action last season and they've been waiting for their shot." Included in that group are junior posts Beth Mueller and Jennie Brennan and junior wing Kirsten Gillingham. Grant, a second-team, all-conference performer last season, was slowed in the early going by a sprained knee ligament and a gash in her mouth suffered in soccer, but played in the Panthers' opening games over the weekend and is nearing 100 percent. North Medford hopes to improve dramatically on its 6-17 record of a year ago, but its best players are underclassmen - sophomore guards Anna Lilly and Brittany Hodges and junior post Kerstin Mellbye. "This group has the intention of being a playoff team, and anything short of that won't be acceptable to them," North Medford coach J.T. Thomas says. "We're still a young team, but it's time we turned the corner." Grants Pass fashioned a winning record (12-11) last season under then-new coach Ken Lathen. Now the Cavers want to take the next step - a top-four finish and the playoff spot that goes with it. GP has a nice nucleus with Alison Klingel returning as a three-year starter at point guard and Megan Moon coming back as a second-team, all-conference performer at wing. "We played a ton of games over the summer and I think we're ready for a good year," Lathen says. Ashland also returns a pair of starters in senior wing Abby Gooch and junior post Marla Morin, but the Grizzlies could be hard-pressed to make the playoffs for a sixth straight season. Eagle Point should be more competitive than last season with point guard Jenna Bilden, wing Dani Rouhier and posts Alisa Lee and Ashley Curtis all returning as starters. But how many wins the Eagles can muster remains to be seen. Ditto for Klamath Union, which was hit hard by graduation. Megan Leppert is the Pelicans' only returning starter and letter winner. 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.