Coaches and players in the new six-school Great Basin Conference better be aware of the Wood River High School girls' basketball team this winter. The Wolverines are coming hard. They're on the verge.
Second-year coach Mendy Benson made progress last season with a raw group of Wolverines. She's ready to take a few more steps during the 20-game 2009-10 season that debuts Friday, Nov. 13 at Buhl and next Tuesday at Wendell.
Positives on the 11-player varsity include four 6-0 post players who can all score, improved outside shooting, additional depth and one huge asset in sophomore guard Kaitana Martinez. She made first-team All-Conference as a freshman and led the Wolverines in scoring at 10.8 ppg.
Benson said, "Our post play is nice and obviously having Kaitana Martinez speaks for itself. She played for a club team in Boise and also did what we did as a team—play 25 games this summer plus 30 practices.
"The biggest difference for Kaitana compared to last year is confidence. She does things now with authority and understands the game so much better. She can make decisions without hesitation. Her skills are one step better than last year."
Benson is proud of the gains Wood River made last winter.
The record improved from 2-18 to 5-16. Offensive output improved by two points to 33.4 ppg, and points allowed on defense made a dramatic drop of nearly eight points to 41.0 ppg. Plus, free throw shooting accuracy went from 54% to 58%.
She said, "We competed last year. We went from getting killed to really competing with every team except Jerome (22-5, league champ, won its three GBW tourney games by an average 28.3, third at state)."
Wood River's first big goals are to shed the monkey of losing 38 consecutive conference games dating back five seasons, and improving a painful road record of 6-51 over the past five basketball campaigns.
You win on the road with defense. That's been another area of improvement, according to Hailey's 34-year-old coach Benson, a new mother and former basketball captain at the University of Oregon.
"Defense is leg strength and hip strength. People with strong legs can be great defenders," she said. "The girls have been in the weight room all winter. They're so much stronger and can move so much better."
Senior Grace Lagodich (6.2 ppg) was last year's "Best Defensive Player" and second-leading scorer. She will provide a defensive spark along with senior guard Alex Lindbloom ("tough as nails," said Benson) and sophomore Tristin Bowers ("she has the intensity—what she lacks in height she makes up for in heart").
Benson plans to have Martinez and Tristin Bowers share the point guard position with Lagodich as a #3 player, or a shooting guard and forward. Lindbloom will be more of a #2 position, a slash-and-attack shooting guard.
The four post players are almost a luxury. Benson said, "Most coaches are lucky to have one." They are 6-0 senior Monica Garceau (5.1 ppg), 6-0 junior Jade Glenn, and 6-0 sophomores Cheyenne Swanson (3.2 ppg) and Haylee Thompson. Garceau and Swanson played varsity last winter.
Besides her rebounding abilities, Swanson is one of the team's best 3-point shooters. Glenn is probably the truest post player and brings another big intangible. Benson said, "Jade is probably the most even keeled and consistent athlete I've ever coached."
With her basketball background, Benson is aware that teams are a collection of individuals, which is one reason she values the strengths of senior Kelly Chapman. Benson said, "Kelly is a good passer and role player, but she's really an inspirational leader, the glue, the reason we enjoy what we're doing out there."
Two other varsity players will provide a boost off the bench. They are juniors Brooke Bowers and Allie Hesteness. Benson said, "Brooke gives us good, solid help off the bench and she can score. Allie is an excellent free throw shooter and an incredible athlete under pressure."
Benson added, "We have a really nice mix of players, well balanced with depth. We can look to run and press a little more because of depth."
Wood River's first of 10 home games is Thursday, Nov. 19 with the Filer Wildcats, one of four teams the Wolverines defeated last winter. Benson's varsity assistant coach is her husband, Kevin Stilling.
Added to the schedule are home-and-homes with new league foes Twin Falls and Canyon Ridge of Twin Falls, along with Wendell and Hillcrest of Idaho Falls. Subtracted from the schedule were last year's foes Gooding, Mountain Home, Pocatello and Skyline of Idaho Falls.
On the junior varsity coached by Bruce Bowers are two juniors, Hunter Thompson and Elizabeth Cameron, along with eight promising sophomores—Devan Atkinson, Cookie Benson, Lauren Bryant, Emmalie Dion, Megan Morrell, Lucy Paisley, Michaela Rodriguez and Haillie Taylor.
Freshman coach J.C. Nemecek has 13 ninth-graders. They are Taylor Berntson, Rachel Conover, Alison Gasenica, Miranda Gasenica, Madi Hendricks, Kennedie Howard, Ashley Karst, Mandy Kinsey, Christina Leyba, Lily Richards, Larissa Roberts, Sydney Tidwell and Favi Worthington.
