Wednesday, November 10, 2004

In new league, Wolverines are rebuilding

Girls? basketball season debuts


You?ve got to give coach Brent Carnduff tons of credit for tearing up his resignation letter and signing up to guide the Wood River High School girls? basketball team into the rigors of 4A competition.

Carnduff had seven seniors last winter. He guided them to Wood River?s first-ever berth in the state basketball tournament and a glittering 15-8 record?averaging 50 points each game. It was Wood River?s fifth consecutive winning season.

Graduated from the district championship team were All-Stars Natalie Green, Jessica King and Emily Smith, plus valuable role players.

Initially Carnduff resigned last spring, then he decided he give it another shot. So this will be Carnduff?s fifth season as head coach of Wolverine girls? basketball. It should be his most challenging campaign.

Carnduff (58-34) is scrambling to find enough juniors and seniors to round out the 2004-05 Wolverine varsity and junior varsity teams. There are numbers in the sophomore and freshman classes, but he doesn?t want to rush kids along.

He said, ?I think we have good leadership and we will work hard. There are just a lot of question marks right now. It will take a little while to jell and see where everybody fits.?

Time is ticking down to the opening tip-off. Wood River?s 20-game season slate opens Friday, Nov. 12 against the Century Diamondbacks from Pocatello at the Hailey gym.

Wood River?s schedule is much tougher this year.

Only Buhl, Gooding, Hillcrest and Bonneville of Idaho Falls remain from last year?s schedule. Among the additions are Great Basin Conference West league favorite Jerome, the reigning State 4A champion (48-3 over two seasons).

Fortunately for opponents, Jerome lost its coach.

Jerome?s highly-successful girls? basketball coach Michelle Skyles resigned in May to take an assistant coaching position at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. She guided Jerome to eight state tournament appearances, one title and three state runner-up finishes.

Wood River will be the newcomer and definitely the underdog in the new Fourth District league that also features Jerome, Minico and Burley.

?As a coaching staff we?re trying to stay positive,? said Carnduff, assisted by new junior varsity coach Katie Oneida. ?We?ll be working on a patient, spread offense. And we?ll be working hard on defense to keep the scores low.?

Seniors on varsity include Syringa Stark, Alexa Alberdi, Maddie Miller, Laura Johnson and Sydney Leopold. Stark (4.6 ppg) is the point guard, with Alberdi the shooting guard. Johnson is the starting post. Only Stark had considerable varsity minutes last winter.

Junior wing Jamie Stone and sophomore Kristen Miniard will help the varsity.

There is talent?and numbers?in the sophomore class, so Carnduff and Oneida are developing a plan to best utilize girls like Stephanie Bird, LeighAndra Roberts, Casey Vegwert, Esther Garza, Kelsey Lidstrom, Jordan Scanlon and Leah McIlhenny. A newcomer is junior Charlie Cullen.

An enthusiastic group of 12 freshman girls coached by Jennifer Boatwright is headed up by players like Lauren Morgenthaler, Hannah Ward and Michelle McMurdo.



2004-05 WRHS Girls Basketball Schedule


A total 20 games on the regular-season schedule for the 2004-05 Wolverine girls; 10 home and 10 away. All home games at Wood River High School gym, Hailey. General admission $5. Wood River's home varsity/JV games are denoted in bold type. Fourth District 4A matches are marked with an asterisk (*). The Great Basin Conference includes 7 teams?WR, Jerome, Burley, Minico, Pocatello, Century and Preston. At the Nov. 10 jamboree in Carey, Wood River?s V/JV play Butte County at 6 p.m. and go against Carey at 8 p.m.

Varsity, junior varsity

DATE, DAY...OPPONENT...LOCATION
Nov. 10, Wednesday...Jamboree...Carey, 6:00/8:00
Nov. 12, Friday...Century...Home, 6:00/7:30
Nov. 16, Tuesday...Hillcrest...Home, 6:00/7:30
Nov. 19, Friday...Bonneville...Idaho Falls, 6:00/7:30
Nov. 23, Tuesday...Skyline...Idaho Falls, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 1, Wednesday...Blackfoot...Home, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 3, Friday...Minico*...Home, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 4, Saturday...Buhl...Away, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 9, Thursday...Jerome*...Home, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 11, Saturday...Skyline...Home, 1:00/2:30
Dec. 15, Wednesday...Bonneville...Home, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 17, Friday...Burley*...Away, 6:00/7:30
Dec. 18, Saturday...Gooding...Home, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 6, Thursday...Minico*...Rupert, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 8, Saturday...Gooding...Away, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 11, Tuesday...Buhl...Home, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 14, Friday...Jerome*...Away, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 20, Thursday...Burley (Sr. Night)*...Home, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 22, Saturday...Blackfoot...Away, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 25, Tuesday...Hillcrest...Idaho Falls, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 27, Thursday...Century...Pocatello, 6:00/7:30
Jan. 29, Saturday...District 4A (high seed hosts) TBA
Feb. 10, Thursday...4A playoff (4B vs. 5B) TBA
Feb. 12, Saturday...Playoff (4-5B vs. 6B) Highland, Pocatello, 1:30
Feb. 17, Thursday...State 4A...Mountain View High, Meridian


Ninth grade

DATE, DAY...OPPONENT...LOCATION
Oct. 26, Tuesday...Jerome...Home, 5:00
Oct. 28, Thursday...Burley...Away, 6:00
Nov. 4, Thursday...O?Leary...Twin Falls, 6:00
Nov. 11, Thursday...Stuart...Home, 5:00
Nov. 16, Tuesday...Minico...Rupert, 6:00
Nov. 18, Thursday...Jerome...Away, 6:00
Nov. 22, Monday...Burley...Home, 5:00
Nov. 30, Tuesday...O?Leary...Home, 5:00
Dec. 4, Saturday...Buhl...Away, 4:15
Dec. 6, Monday...Community School JV...Sun Valley, 6:30
Dec. 7, Tuesday...Stuart...Twin Falls, 6:00
Dec. 9, Thursday...Minico...Home, 4:15
Dec. 16, Thursday...Century...Pocatello, 4:00
Dec. 18, Saturday...Gooding...Home, 4:15
Jan. 8, Saturday...Gooding...Away, 4:15
Jan. 11, Tuesday...Buhl...Home, 4:15
Jan. 18, Tuesday...Century...Home, 6:30
Jan. 24, Monday...Community School JV...Home, 5:00



NOTES?The Fourth District (WR, Jerome, Burley, Minico) gets 1.25 berths in the State 4A tournament?meaning the league champion automatically goes to state, while the runner-up team must win two playoff games against eastern Idaho teams to advance. The league tournament is high seed hosts, match-ups #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3.?. Tiebreakers in the event of ties in the District 4 league go to overall record and then to common records against Great Basin Conference opponents.?.In opening-round state match-ups at Bonneville in Idaho Falls, the Fourth District champion plays the winner of the District 3 (Boise-area) runner-up, while the winner of the 4-5B vs. 6B playoff plays the District 3 champion.....Booster athletic season tickets for all Wood River sporting events during the 2004-05 school year are available for $45 per person ($75 couples) at the high school. Season tickets for middle school and elementary school students are $20. Drop by the high school and see athletic director Ron Martinez. Senior citizens 65-and-over are admitted free to Wood River sporting events.




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