Early thoughts on the Blackfoot and Snake River girls hoops teams.
IT’S HARD to believe I’ve already submitted my third state girls media ballot and we are already three weeks deep into the high school girls basketball season.
So in the words of country music star Kenny Chesney — “Don’t blink.”
It seems like only yesterday I was covering the State High Volleyball Championships in Idaho Falls, but that was close to a month ago. I mean, it’s nothing compared to when you’re six years old and take nap, wake up and you’re 25 and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife, but you catch my drift.
Time flies. Even seemingly at a faster rate in the ravenous world of sports journalism. The Morning News and New York Times aren’t too different in that respect, believe it or not.
Back to basketball.
Having not seen any snow flakes, it also serves as a barometer to how early things are for the girls on the hardwood. While I realize November basketball isn’t the prettiest brand of hoops, I felt I’d share some of my early observations.
Observations , after all, are part of a scribe’s milieu.
BLACKFOOT (2-3) could perhaps be the rawest talent in their conference from the looks of things.
Coming in a bit inexperienced and undersized, the Broncos aren’t lacking in speed or athleticism, though. With multi-sport athletes like Lindsay Hunt, Bailey Brown, Olivia Gardner, Maria Ballesteros and Nicole Leslie, veteran head coach Mike Kirkham’s squad has enough athleticism alone to put forth a respectable showing night in and night out.
If Blackfoot can find a consistent scorer other than Brown, which Gardner may be a candid after her 21 point performance against Idaho Falls on Tuesday, it will help their sputtering offense’s overall consistency. In a half-court set, sealing their lone 6-footer in Leslie on the block is also another key to their success. She creates a balance.
Defensively, Blackfoot is deep enough (Despain, Hagar, Jones off the bench) to do things at a chaotic pace in a full-court press a bulk of their contests. They can force turnovers, it’s a just matter if the young Broncos can keep the tenacity for 32 minutes, and the last thing they want to do is get in a half-court defensive situation come conference time.
Bonneville, Hillcrest and Rigby have enough trees and shooters to give the Blackfoot a few problems if the ball exceeds the volleyball line. The High Country Conference, top-to-bottom, could be the most competitive 4A conference in the Gem State this winter.
A win over Idaho Falls – a team tabbed to push Highland for 5A HCC supremacy – has given a bit of optimism for this young journalist, nonetheless.
SNAKE RIVER’s early record is a bit deceiving.
Having fallen to the top 3A squad in Idaho in Sugar-Salem, a team that could vie for hardware in the 4A classification, and 2A front-runner Soda Springs, the Panthers are sitting on an 1-2 mark.
The Panthers’ Tuesday contest against MRC hopeful Teton leaves no rest for the weary, either.
First year head coach Steven Morton already has the pieces to the 3A SEIC puzzle, but he may also have a group that can match —or exceed — what many of the girls on his team did at the state volleyball tournament.
I know, I know. Very premature statement, but I’ve been around this game awhile and know something good when I see it.
Morton, 33, has been around the game awhile himself. The Roseburg, Oregon native has been around the prep ranks awhile including an assistant coaching stint at NJCAA Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.
I like the assertiveness in junior guards Saige Goff and Erica Christensen. They can do things in transition and aren’t afraid to let it fly, but also know when to slow things down. Kaitlynn Harker, a junior off the bench, can also fill it from deep.
But this team can also go big.
Lindsay VanOrden, a wing, plays like an interior player and with towers Eden VanOrden, Shelby Phillips and Allie Murdoch, the Panthers go in-and-out on any given possession.
Once they start growing accustomed to facing full-court pressure, this will be adangerous team come January. I’ll go ahead say right now that Goff WILL be the league’s MVP and with the conference being down as a whole, the Panthers WILL be cutting down nets in February.
Something to chew on.
Mr. High will be giving his famed “Two Cents” on Firth and Shelley next week.
