Edmonds, Shoreline ready to defend men’s hoop title
Published 10:09 am Friday, February 22, 2008
For the past two seasons, it’s been a two-team tussle for the Northern Region men’s basketball crown in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges between Edmonds and Shoreline.
Edmonds edged Shoreline for the 2000-01 division title en route to a third-place finish at the NWAACC championships. Last season, the rivals wound up sharing the title with matching 11-5 league records and it was Shoreline that wound up having the better performance at the conference tournament.
And while both teams plan to be in the thick of a clouded league race come March, they’ll go about getting there in different ways.
One of three Northern Region teams with seven returners, Edmonds has shifted to a shorter, more versatile lineup. The Tritons intend to utilize their speed and depth to outlast their opponents.
Shoreline’s roster is also sprinkled with quickness but what separates the youthful Dolphins is their distinction as the only team in the entire conference without a single returner.
To overcome its inexperience, Shoreline will rely on Sunri Nicholas, a brawny, 6-foot-10 post who never played high school basketball, and a supporting cast of adept outside shooters.
The Tritons bring back four of their top five scorers — Josh McLeod (18.1 ppg.), Roger Russaw (14.6), Will VanDuine (12.0) and Craig Roosendaal (11.6) — and were rated No. 1 in the preseason Northern Region coaches poll.
Bellevue registered the highest finish of any North team at last year’s NWAACC tournament with its third-place showing and was picked to finish second behind Edmonds.
Coming off its best season since winning the 1998-99 division title, Skagit Valley was rated third, followed by Olympic and Shoreline.
Reigning NWAACC champion Tacoma is an overwhelming favorite to repeat its title. The Titans have claimed four straight league titles and are 112-21 overall during that stretch.
On the women’s side, Edmonds is looking to continue its methodical climb up the standings while Shoreline regroups under first-year coach Petra Jackson.
Last year, the Tritons tied Seattle for the division’s fourth and final playoff spot, but lost a tiebreaker game to the Storm. Still, it was the best finish for Edmonds since 1996-97.
Three players return for the Tritons, who will also benefit from an amplified post presence due to the emergence of Mary Dinsmore, Jenn Brown, Cicely Tyler and Jill Maag.
The Dolphins are building around their only returning starter, point guard Melissa Chomos. Kamela Lyons has shined in Shoreline’s early games, as have Amanda Merkley and King’s grads Alison Burk and Audrey Huebner.
Skagit Valley has finished either first or second in the Northern Region the past 15 seasons and was ranked as the division’s top team in the preseason poll.
Everett got off to a 6-2 start and was picked second, followed by closely by Edmonds. Whatcom returns just one player off a team that took fifth at the NWAACC tournament and is rated fourth.
Whether or not any of those rankings hold water will become clear when league play kicks off Jan. 2.
Charlie Laughtland and David Pan cover sports for The Enterprise Newspapers. Questions and comments may be sent via e-mail to entsports@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-774-8622 or by mail to: Sports editor, The Enterprise, 4303 198th St. SW., Lynnwood, WA 98036.
