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Timberline (Boise) High School
School Info
Conference: 5A Southern Idaho Conference
Classification: 5A
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Head Coach: Todd Simpson
Years as Head Coach: 5th Season
Previous Experience: 13 years with the boys program at Timberline including Sophomore, JV and Varsity Assistant
Record Last Year: 7-17
State Titles: 2003
Assistant Coaches: Kevin Shepherdson – Varsity Assistant), Shay Ellsworth – JV Dominic Molet – Sophomore
Returning Players: Elena McHargue PG, 10 Ashlyn Ascuena-Mercil, G, 10 Jordan Adams, F, 11 Courtney Hurlbut, G, 12 Aubree Gonser, G, 11
Returning Players with Honors: Elena McHargue PG, 10 (All-Conference Honorable Mention Jordan Adams, F, 11 (All-Conference Honorable Mention as a freshman)
Key Players lost from last year: Miranda Lamb – Joined a club volleyball team Sarah Briggs
Incoming impact players: Emma Ellinghouse. A 6’4” freshman post will be a force in the middle this year and fill in a need Ava Ranson Freshman Guard. She is a really talented player who makes amazing plays, she will be a difference maker for us off the bench throughout the season.
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Team Preview
Written by: Lucas Gebhart
Timberline saw steady improvement from last season. In 2014-15, the team won just three games, ending the year losing eleven of their last twelve. 2015-16 saw a new defensive system and a young led Timberline team beginning to turn the corner on a program that has struggled in recent years.
Freshmen Elena McHargue averaged ten points per-game last season while Ashlyn averaged Ascuena-Mercil eight. The freshmen duo helped the Wolves raise their scoring average by 9.4 points last season.
McHargue was awarded with an All-Conference Honorable Mention along with then-sophomore Jordan Adams.
“Our talent is the best it has been in a decade,” said head coach Todd Simpson. “We are really young, and the league is really tough this year, but I think we will have exceptional growth throughout the year. I like our chances of being a state tournament team in the end.”
Although the Wolves had just one senior last season, they lost two key contributors. Sarah Briggs graduated while Miranda Lamb will not return to the team this season as she has joined a club volleyball team that plays during the winter.
“[Briggs] was a senior last year who started some of the games for us, she will be missed for her experience and toughness,” Simpson said. “[Lamb] will be missed because she was super talented and ended the season starting for us as a freshman. Luckily, we have a new freshman that is really talented that can take her place.”
That freshmen, is Emma Ellinghouse, a towering 6’4 presents that although young, will be a tough matchup for every team in the SIC.
With the young talent, Timberline will count on the senior leadership of Courtney Hurlbut. Out of the five returning players with starting experience, Hurlbut is the only senior.
“Consistency will be our x-factor,” Simpson said. “As a young team with multiple sophomores and freshman as significant players on a team, we tend to look great one minute and then not too good the next. We need to work on maintaining a high level of play throughout the game to make the most of our season.”
That inconsistency also means that teams cannot sleep on the Wolves this season. Although they most likely will not consistently be one of the best teams in the conference, they can play like it on any given night.
“I think we are well balanced, we have an inside presence, can attack off the dribble and can shoot from outside,” Simpson said. “Our focus is to stay well balanced and use our depth and speed to attack on the break, and then execute when we do not get numbers.”
That length will help on the other end of the floor as well, as Timberline enters its second season in its new-look defense. It allows us to get into passing lanes and extend pressure if needed,” Simpson said. “We also have a better understanding of our defensive system. We have players who have played within the system for a year and are thinking less and reacting more.”
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