GIRLS BBALL | Freshman follows older sister onto E-W court

Published 7:30 pm Tuesday, December 6, 2011

EDMONDS — Her older sister can be bossy. She can be demanding and relentless. But Edmonds-Woodway freshman guard Natalie Kasper wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Oh yeah, she’s bossy,” Natalie Kasper said about sister and teammate Madeline Kasper. “But she’s the leader so it’s understandable. We need someone out there to boss us around. She knows how to win, so we look to her for guidance and leadership.”

As the Warriors’ lone senior and team captain, Madeline Kasper, a 5-foot-5 guard, anchors a young and inexperienced team, one that’s made up of six underclassmen and two juniors. The lineup includes two freshmen, including Natalie Kasper.

“We have one senior in the entire program,” said third-year coach Duane Hodges, who entered the season owning a 49-9 overall record. “But it’s nice because I have a lot of time to mold them.”

Fortunately for Hodges, he has Madeline Kasper’s experience to lean on. She’s been a starter since her freshman year and she’s played a key role in the Warriors’ three consecutive trips to the state tournament. Last season she earned all-league second team honors and averaged just under 10 points per game. In the season opener Nov. 29, she scored 20 points and had nine assists in the Warriors’ 96-30 victory over Marysville Getchell.

“She is such a smart player,” Hodges said. “She’s a confident leader, but she’s very guarded with her words. The girls look up to her and that’s important.”

Hodges lost five celebrated seniors to graduation, four of whom started. All four of them also earned Class 4A all-league honors, including first-teamers guard Angela Woods and forward Sydney Donaldson. Forward Ashley Albertson earned second-team honors, and guard Alex Kenney made honorable mention.

Last year, the Warriors made it to the Elite 8 in the state tournament but lost in the first round to eventual-state champion Lewis and Clark. They finished the season 24-6 and won their second consecutive Western Conference South Division title with a 13-0 record. Since Hodges took over, the Warriors have a sterling 26-1 league record. In 2008-09, the Warriors tied Jackson and Meadowdale for the division title.

“Last year’s team was exceptional, so it’s difficult to compare this year’s team to them,” Hodges said. “We’re faster than last year’s team. We are quicker defensively, but we don’t shoot as well and we’re not as skilled down low.”

The Warriors brought back from last year three players – not including Madeline Kasper – who saw varsity minutes, including sophomore center Sidney Eck, sophomore guard Maddy Nealey and 6-foot-1 sophomore center Seyi Olajoyegbe.

“Sid (Eck) is a powerful girl who has good hands and strong foot work,” Hodges said. “She doesn’t have too much basketball experience but you can tell that she can be a real presence at the center position. Maddy (Nealey) will come off our bench. She is probably the best sixth-man in the league.”

Eck scored 19 points in the season opener and 12 points in a 55-51 loss to Auburn-Riverside Dec. 1.

As for Natalie Kasper, she has her sister by at least a few inches in height and plays the shooting guard/wing position. She scored the team’s first points of the season and her first points as a varsity player in the victory over Marysville Getchell. Naturally, Natalie’s first basket came off a pass from her sister just three seconds into the game. Natalie Kasper scored 14 points against Marysville Getchell and nine points in the team’s loss to Auburn-Riverside.

“Maddy works well with Natalie because she tells Natalie what to do,” Hodges said laughing. “They can communicate with very few words. Two or three words and they are on the same page.”

Guard Simone Jackson and forward Claire Fyfe are Hodges’ other two freshmen. Jackson scored 12 points against Auburn-Riverside.

“If we’re going to be good, it’s going to happen sometime in January,” Hodges said. “We have a talented team, they just happen to be young and inexperienced. But those are all things that we can develop.

The Warriors (1-1) play Jackson on the road at 7 p.m. Dec. 7.