For the week of November 20 - 26, 2002

Cutthroat girls aim 
high on hardwoods

Varsity, JV teams for the first time

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Community School English teacher and girls’ basketball coach Ryan Waterfield thought she was going to be teaching on a Fulbright Exchange program in the Czech Republic this school year.

But her exchange partner backed out at the last second for family reasons. So Waterfield is still in Sun Valley, teaching and coaching—and she’s very excited to be coaching this year’s Cutthroat girls’ basketball team.

In fact, for the first time in school history the Cutthroats will be able to field varsity and junior varsity teams. "It is very important for the future of the program to develop a junior varsity team," Waterfield said.

Seventh-year Cutthroat coach Waterfield (43-50) has welcomed back eight members from last year’s 12-player team that went 5-10 overall (2-10 league) in the tough Northside Conference. The season included a 33-29 home win over Carey—the first Cutthroat victory over Carey since 1989.

Top scorer Jamie Terry (8.2 ppg) graduated. So did four-year player Katie Matteson.

But the three seniors and promising underclassmen put a smile on Waterfield’s face. The coach said, "The seniors are all setting an intense and dedicated tone at all practices."

Seniors are Erika Connelly, Kristin Hickey and Pauli Ochi.

Strong athletically and very competitive, Connelly (4.6 ppg) has been a four-year starter.

Waterfield said, "Erika’s basketball game has come a long way. Her confidence in her shot is increasing and her defense is a real strong point. She has stepped up to the role of being a senior. She is a positive leader. She sets an excellent work habit example."

Quick with a positive attitude, Hickey (7.2 ppg) was the leading Cutthroat rebounder last season. She is a very good defender, the coach added.

Waterfield said, "Kristin is an important part of our team. She needs to work on strong moves to the basket because she plays the 4/5 position and isn’t overwhelmingly tall."

The point guard is Ochi (7.4 ppg), another four-year starter.

"Like Erika, Pauli is an excellent and devoted athlete. She’s a gym rat and works hard to better her skills," the coach said. "Her shot is coming along and she plays great defense. Pauli can read the floor well and has a great understanding of the game."

Jenny Rutherford, a junior, is often overlooked but never under-appreciated by coach Waterfield. "Jenny is a good defensive player and is a very important player on this team," said Waterfield.

Sophomore contributors will be Gussi Ochi, 5-11 Jackie Godard, Caitlin Cairncross and Blake Ellis.

Waterfield said, "Gussi is dedicated. She reads the court well, makes good passes, cuts backdoor and takes smart shots. Jackie is our "big" girl. Caitlin will be back-up point guard. She has a good outside shot and she’s a smart player."

The freshman girls are Caitlin Enright, Lily Mott, Corinna Pidgeon, Britt Williams and Jordan White.

"We’ll have a junior varsity team made up of freshman and sophomore players," said Waterfield.

The Cutthroats open their 15-game season Saturday, Nov. 23 at Oakley. First home varsity game is Dec. 3, a league challenge with Carey.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.