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SOU inks eight to bolster women's hoops squad Wiley, Petersen add local flavor Shirley Huyett recently capped her campaign to reload the Southern Oregon women's basketball team, adding eight newcomers to her list of six letterwinners from last year's 27-5 team. Last season, the Raiders won the Cascade Conference tournament title for the second straight season and were the top seed at the NAIA Division II tourney before bowing out in the second round. This season, Huyett and company hope to make another run at the national title, with former Ashland High standout Sarah Petersen and Crater High's Emily Wiley leading the local contingent of newcomers. Huyett's primary recruiting challenge was replacing the dominating post tandem of Nada Janackovic and Denise Berry. Janackovic was a two-time conference player of the year and first-team All-American forward while at SOU, and Berry was a second-team All-American post. The dynamic duo combined for over half the team's scoring and rebounding last season. "There are always questions going into a season, especially when you have so many new faces and so many freshmen (7), but I like the looks of this team," said the SOU women's basketball coach. "It will be an extremely athletic and exciting team to watch. It will be the tallest team SOU has ever had with six players over 6-feet." The 6-foot-1 Wiley was a first-team Southern Oregon Conference all-star last year for the Comets. She averaged a team-high 9.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and five blocked shots per game. "Emily is an excellent defender and shot blocker," Huyett said. "It's great to have a Crater player on the team. She comes from a successful program, and when players are used to winning, it really helps us achieve our goals." Petersen, a 6-2 junior, earned second-team all-state honors by averaging 19.3 points and 8.4 blocks as a senior at Ashland in 1997. She was also named the SOC's most valuable player that season for the Grizzlies before hooking up with the University of Hawaii on a NCAA Division I scholarship. She averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds while earning Western Athletic Conference All-Academic status over the past two seasons. "Sarah is an outstanding athlete with a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to working with her," said Huyett. "She has the potential to be a big-time player for us." Other Raider signings include: Liz Bresnan, a 5-7 freshman guard from Glendale High in Glendale; Angie Frassetto, a 5-8 freshman guard from Centennial High in Portland; Kara Magee-Arick, a 6-2 freshman forward from Lincoln High in Portland; Ashley Nunley, a 6-1 freshman post from Sutherlin High in Sutherlin; Jamie Stanford, a 6-foot freshman forward from Mount Edgecumbe High in Haines, Alaska; and Amy Tangedahl, a 6-foot freshman forward from Hellgate High in Missoula, Mont. Bresnan, Frassetto and Magee-Arick each were voted player of the year in their respective conferences last season. Bresnan repeated as Big Fir League player of the year and earned first-team Class 2A all-state status after averaging 16.5 points, six steals and five assists. Frassetto was voted Mt. Hood Conference player of the year after posting 15.7 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game. She was also voted Centennial High's athlete of the year for her efforts in basketball and track and field. Magee-Arick was named Portland Interscholastic League player of the year and was an honorable mention Class 4A all-state selection. She averaged 12.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season at Lincoln High. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.