Prep Notebook: Love expected back for Cascade girls basketball team
Published 11:43 pm Monday, January 4, 2010
The struggling Cascade High School girls basketball team is getting its best player back.
Danielle Love, Cascade’s lone senior, is expected to return to action tonight after sitting out the Bruins’ past four games because of a suspension.
A versatile 6-foot-2 University of Oregon hoops recruit, Love served a two-week suspension for violating the district athletic code, Cascade athletic director Doug Kloke said. Kloke declined to explain specifics of the violation but said, “It was a good learning experience for her — a life lesson, and that’s what high school is all about sometimes.”
Cascade (0-4 Western Conference North Division, 1-7 overall) was 0-4 during Love’s absence, including back-to-back division losses against Snohomish and Everett. But Love will play when the Bruins host Lake Stevens (2-3, 5-4) tonight at Reg Scodeller gymnasium.
Love, whose wide range of skills allows her to play virtually any position on the court, is averaging a team-best 16.0 points per game. Last season she averaged 13.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.6 steals. More than ever, Love is motivated to make the most of her opportunities, Cascade coach Carlos Humphrey said.
“She understands basketball is not a privilege. (The suspension) kind of lit a nice little fire under her,” he said.
Also eligible to return tonight for Cascade are Carlyn Odegard and Taylor Gordon. Both junior guards, Odegard and Gordon served two-week suspensions for an athletic-code violation, Kloke said. Along with Love, they practiced with the team during their respective suspensions.
But Gordon (7.3 points per game this season) found out on Dec. 26 she will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury, coach Humphrey said. A former starter, Gordon tore her anterior cruciate ligament during a game at Marysville-Pilchuck on Dec. 9.
Reclassification update
How will classifications change for local high schools in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years? Check out the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s preliminary reclassification ranges at http://tinyurl.com/yaka9sc. A few interesting notes:
*Class 4A Marysville-Pilchuck has the largest enrollment average (2,560.06 students) in the state; South Kitsap (2,334.63) is No. 2.
*Archbishop Murphy’s enrollment average of 426.25 is in the 1A range (208-512) but Murphy once again will “opt up” a class to 2A, where the range is 513-1085.
*Glacier Peak’s enrollment average (1057.54) falls in the 2A range but the Grizzlies opted up to remain in 3A.
*Current 4A schools whose enrollment averages dropped into the 3A range (1086-1303) include Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor and Shorewood.
The six athletic classifications in Washington (from largest to smallest) will continue to be 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 2B and 1B. The WIAA Executive Board will finalize reclassification results on Jan. 24.
Lake Stevens vs. Snohomish wrestling on Friday
Two of the state’s top wrestling programs will clash this week. The three-time defending state champion Lake Stevens Vikings will play host to the Snohomish Panthers in a Wesco North dual meet at 7 p.m. Friday in the Lake Stevens High gym. Lake Stevens (2-0 in North dual meets, 4-0 overall) is No. 1 in WashingtonWrestlingReport.com’s Dec. 15 4A rankings; Snohomish (2-0, 6-1) is ranked 12th. Last season Lake Stevens avenged its 2008 dual meet loss versus Snohomish with a 50-21 triumph over the Panthers. Lake Stevens and Snohomish went on to finish first and second, respectively, at the 2009 state championships.
Ennis Scholarship candidates
Local student-athletes Chase Crowley (Lake Stevens), Matthew Huggins (Archbishop Murphy), Luke Perry (Snohomish) and Danny Stokes (Marysville-Pilchuck) are candidates for the 2010 Terry Ennis Scholarship. Other candidates for the second annual award, named in honor of the legendary football coach who passed away in September 2007, are Brett Bajema (Lynden), Wyatt Brinkman (Columbia River), Hunter Colegrove (Bonney Lake), Brandon Ellerman (Burlington-Edison), Nicholas Fairhart (Eatonville), Trevor Horn (Cascade Christian), Mike McGree (LaSalle), Charles Stout (Bellarmine Prep), Kale Trimble (Montesano) and Jacob Welch (Mark Morris). The candidates are seniors who were nominated by their respective head football coaches.
Presented by the Washington Football Coaches Association and Adrenaline, the scholarship will be awarded on Jan. 23 during the association’s Hall of Fame banquet at the Hilton Bellevue Hotel. For ticket information contact Jerry Parrish at jparrish@donobi.net.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.
