Published: Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Prep notebook
2008 brings plenty to look forward to
With a brief break in the winter prep sports season, it's a good time to look ahead to what should be some of the most exciting games and storylines of the next few months:
Let's start with the surging Lake Stevens High School girls basketball team. This past weekend the unbeaten Vikings notched impressive victories over Moses Lake and Jesuit (Portland, Ore.), improving their record to 8-0.
Led by a senior trio of double-digit scorers -- guard Mary Ochiltree, and posts Karri Gallagher and Brittany Tri -- Lake Stevens appears to be a balanced squad that has a great chance to qualify for the Class 4A state tournament for a third consecutive year and significantly improve on its 1-2 showing at state last season.
The Vikings have two big Wesco North Division tests coming up. They play host to Oak Harbor (6-2) Friday and travel to Snohomish (6-2) Jan. 8.
In other girls hoops action, five teams have winning league records in the Wesco South Division: Jackson, Meadowdale, Kamiak, Edmonds-Woodway and Shorecrest. But, as expected, Jackson and Meadowdale have emerged as the division's elite teams.
Jackson's 69-67 victory over Meadowdale on Dec. 12 in Mill Creek was a masterpiece of fast-paced attacks, solid shooting and clutch baskets. The Meadowdale gym will be packed when the talented teams get together for the rematch Jan. 16. It will be the final time star guards Eryn Jones (Meadowdale) and Kristi Kingma (Jackson) go head to head in high school.
How about boys basketball? So far no Wesco team has been dominant, although Snohomish (6-2), Lake Stevens (7-1), Mariner (6-1), Meadowdale (7-1) and Edmonds-Woodway (7-2) have shown intriguing potential. Keep an eye on Snohomish over the next few weeks. The Panthers play a string of strong league foes, including a demanding three-game stretch against Stanwood, Lake Stevens, Monroe and Marysville-Pilchuck.
Don't forget the area's top wrestlers and swimmers.
The ever-powerful Lake Stevens wrestling squad is relatively young but seemingly stronger than ever. The Vikings are a threat to defend their 4A state team title and are ranked No. 1 by Washington Wrestling Report.
Coach Brent Barnes' ultra-dominant program hasn't lost a league dual meet since 1993 and has won 18 consecutive league championships -- two of the most impressive streaks in the state. On Jan. 17, Snohomish (ranked No. 6 in 4A) will try to knock Lake Stevens from its lofty perch.
Speaking of lofty perches, the Marysville-Pilchuck boys swim team briefly bumped two-time defending state champion Snohomish down a notch Dec. 13 when it beat the Panthers in a Wesco North dual meet at M-P's pool. But Snohomish gets another shot at the Tomahawks during the district championships Feb. 7-9.
Desire beats height
Without a player taller than 5-foot-11 in its starting lineup Friday, the Jackson girls basketball team consistently out-rebounded Roosevelt, which featured 6-2 starting forward Grace Cappleman. Jackson grabbed 17 offensive boards in its 63-54 victory.
"Rebounding isn't about how tall you are," Jackson guard Kristi Kingma said. "It's how much you want it."
Coming together
The Kamiak boys basketball team has won four consecutive games since starting 1-3.
"Towards the beginning we had some things not working," Knights post Skylar Stormo said. "Guys didn't know their roles. (But) we're trusting our offense now and starting to get better."
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
With a brief break in the winter prep sports season, it's a good time to look ahead to what should be some of the most exciting games and storylines of the next few months:
Led by a senior trio of double-digit scorers -- guard Mary Ochiltree, and posts Karri Gallagher and Brittany Tri -- Lake Stevens appears to be a balanced squad that has a great chance to qualify for the Class 4A state tournament for a third consecutive year and significantly improve on its 1-2 showing at state last season.
The Vikings have two big Wesco North Division tests coming up. They play host to Oak Harbor (6-2) Friday and travel to Snohomish (6-2) Jan. 8.
Jackson's 69-67 victory over Meadowdale on Dec. 12 in Mill Creek was a masterpiece of fast-paced attacks, solid shooting and clutch baskets. The Meadowdale gym will be packed when the talented teams get together for the rematch Jan. 16. It will be the final time star guards Eryn Jones (Meadowdale) and Kristi Kingma (Jackson) go head to head in high school.
The ever-powerful Lake Stevens wrestling squad is relatively young but seemingly stronger than ever. The Vikings are a threat to defend their 4A state team title and are ranked No. 1 by Washington Wrestling Report.
Coach Brent Barnes' ultra-dominant program hasn't lost a league dual meet since 1993 and has won 18 consecutive league championships -- two of the most impressive streaks in the state. On Jan. 17, Snohomish (ranked No. 6 in 4A) will try to knock Lake Stevens from its lofty perch.
Speaking of lofty perches, the Marysville-Pilchuck boys swim team briefly bumped two-time defending state champion Snohomish down a notch Dec. 13 when it beat the Panthers in a Wesco North dual meet at M-P's pool. But Snohomish gets another shot at the Tomahawks during the district championships Feb. 7-9.
Desire beats height
Without a player taller than 5-foot-11 in its starting lineup Friday, the Jackson girls basketball team consistently out-rebounded Roosevelt, which featured 6-2 starting forward Grace Cappleman. Jackson grabbed 17 offensive boards in its 63-54 victory.
"Rebounding isn't about how tall you are," Jackson guard Kristi Kingma said. "It's how much you want it."
Coming together
The Kamiak boys basketball team has won four consecutive games since starting 1-3.
"Towards the beginning we had some things not working," Knights post Skylar Stormo said. "Guys didn't know their roles. (But) we're trusting our offense now and starting to get better."
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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