Players to Watch:
Shae Olsen, Greenleaf Friends
Natalie Luthy, Idaho City
Jennabelle Reece, Liberty Charter
Alexis Cudaback, Notus
Macklay Moore, Rimrock
Aseese Sangha, Riverstone
Kimberly Zink, Victory Charter
Kimberly Arias, Wilder
Written by: Keller Sherman
It was all about Notus in the Western Idaho Conference last season as the Pirates cruised to a 16-3 regular season record, only dropping one conference game on the season to Idaho City in a 36-35 stunner. Can the Wildcats establish themselves in that top tier of the conference? Will Liberty Charter recapture the conference title? There are storylines aplenty in a deep 10-team league that is still seeking to prove it can contend with the top teams in the state at the 1A Division 1 classification.
Defending league champion Notus will look to take the next step and win on day one at the state tournament for a chance to finish no worse than 4th place. The Pirates lost the consolation game to Oakley last season, but they are still capable of going on a run on the right side of the bracket. Three seniors that were key pieces to last year’s breakout season are absent. That includes last season’s conference player of the year Cierra Peugh, first team all-conference selection Victoria Ortega, and second team honoree Annika Bethel. The only such player returning for the Pirates is honorable mention Alexis Cudaback and if Notus is going to go back-to-back in the conference this season, she will need to step up and in a big way.
Liberty Charter has been to eight consecutive state tournaments dating back to 2015. The Patriots bring back Casey Collom, Jennabelle Reece, and Aspen Davis. Addy Bayne will serve as a key piece on defense as the team looks to have a strong core capable of taking the team to a ninth straight appearance at state. They will have to do it without Ainsley Johnson however. Head coach Brad McCain describes Johnson as a “knock down shooter and competitor who was a strong leader with lots of varsity and state tournament experience.” He also hopes to see growth all around the team.
McCain is confident that as long as the offense plays well in each of their assigned roles, they will take the team far. “Jennabelle Reece has very good footwork around the rim and a high bball IQ. Casey Collom is an All state cross country star who has a motor that never runs out of gas. Aspen Davis is a deep threat from behind the arc, especially if she gets hot,” he said of the Patriots’ offense, which will look to improve on limiting turnovers. On defense, protecting the rim will be a priority. McCain hopes that his players will be able to use their speed to force rushed passes and create steals and turnovers. Stopping offensive rebounding opportunities will be a point of emphasis for a Patriot defense that will look to be among the best in the league. The chemistry of Liberty is something special in McCain’s eyes. He believes this will take the team far this season and with the motto “together or not at all”, perhaps this will be the year the Patriots can make some noise in the state tournament.
Rimrock finished 3rd in the league last season, but that was not enough to send the Raiders to the state tournament. Dropping a 28-27 heartbreaker to Liberty Charter in the district semifinals should put a chip on Rimrock’s shoulder and could rise up and even finish at the top of the regular season standings and take the 1 seed into the district tournament. Jackie Thurman was named the conference’s junior varsity coach of the year and one of the biggest questions for Rimrock will be whether the players that played on JV last season are now ready to jump up to varsity and make an impact. Maklay Moore and Ashten Moore were first team and second team all-conference players respectively last season and will be the core of a Raiders team that will look to take that next step.
Greenleaf brings back a strong piece of talent in second team all-state and first team all-conference selection Shae Olsen. Despite the losses of Kloie Fillmore and Hanna Ralstin, Riverstone coach Mike Cole believes the talent is there on the Grizzlies’ roster to go on a run at the conference title.
Just six miles west on Highway 19 in Wilder is another team that some believe could surprise some people. Liberty Charter coach Brad McCain states “Wilder has been making steady gains over the last few seasons and I expect they will continue to do so this year.” Only one all-conference player is returning for the Wildcats; second team honoree Kimberly Arias. Wilder’s success will depend both on how she plays and how much support she gets around her.
Idaho City has shown they can play with the top dogs in the Western Idaho Conference. One magical January night, the Wildcats pulled off a shocker stunning Notus 36-35. That game was sweet revenge for a 64-18 beatdown at the hands of the Pirates when the teams played in early December in Notus. Idaho City has a great player in Natalie Luthy. The talent she demonstrated got her named to the all conference first-team. With second team honoree Ruth Heffington gone, can Idaho City go on a run for the conference title in her absence with the other talent on their roster?
Victory Charter showed some flashes last season and now, the Vipers will look to build on that. Kimberly Zink was a 2nd team all-conference honoree last season and highlights a returning group of players that also includes Olivia Raptosh and Kaelee Steele. The Vipers will also look to their young talent with Keanna Gibbs and Mikayla Zink, a sophomore and freshman respectively expected to see varsity playing time this season. These players will be crucial to the Vipers’ success this season as two key players are gone in Lauraye Pfnister and Lily Robbins. Pfinster is praised by head coach Mandy Frank for her defensive skill while Robbins did a lot for the team on offense.
Victory’s offense will look to demonstrate its speed by creating fast break opportunities. Kimberly Zink and Kaelee Steele are expected to lead the way in scoring on a high powered offense. That speed will also carry over to defense. The Vipers’ defense finds its strength in reading passes to force steals, but Frank wants to see improvement in defensive rebounding and knowing what the opposing offense is trying to accomplish with fast breaks. The team is continuing to realize their potential and the seniors want to go out on a high note. As the team gets better week by week, Frank is excited to see what the Vipers can do this season with their speed and aggressive defense.
Riverstone struggled last season finishing 4-17, but they return three experienced players that could be difference makers for the Otters. Aseess Sangha, Maria Garcia, and Izzie Miller will be tasked with leading the way with a roster that will see plenty of new faces. Two of the biggest new faces for Riverstone will be Miona Petra Knezevic and Presley Bergmann. Second year head coach Mike Cole has seen these players thrive in practice stating “Miona has good size and athleticism, with soft hands around the rim. Presley is a smart athletic post that plays within our offense extremely efficiently.” With primary ball handler Deborah Tadasse and leading rebounder Maud Slots gone, both last year’s No 1 and No 2 scorers respectively, this roster will need to step up in a big way if the Otters are to go far.
Riverstone will continue to utilize a motion offense that allows many opportunities for shots close to the rim. The Otters have a rotation where every player is capable of getting offensive rebounds, but this group will need to get more of those rim shots to play at a high level. With a half court man defense, they will look to limit offensive rebounds. Just as much as the 3 returning players with varsity experience will be important to the team’s success this year, how the newcomers to the team will be just as, if not more important.
Gem State Academy will look to work their way out of the conference’s basement. Their lone win both conference and overall came against North Star Charter, but the Huskies moved up to the 2A Western Idaho Conference this fall and in their place is Vision Charter. With the rest of the conference unfamiliar with the Golden Eagles, Victory Charter coach Mandy Frank warns other teams in the conference not to overlook them as it is unknown what they will bring to the table.
The Western Idaho Conference will be wide open this year. Notus lost a lot of talent which opens the door for plenty of other teams to make a run at the conference title. There are seven teams that have a great shot and even one of the teams outside of those seven could rise up and surprise as well.