K l l i l I T T W Hrppnrr ( i i i f l l r T ln in . Ilrppn.r
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Sherman Co., Heppner favored in Columbia Basin girls conference
"Som ething old. something new.
something borrowed and something
blue " So goes the old saying at
weddings and so say the coaches o!
the Columbia Basin. Ihstrict 7 A. as
they prepare (or another girls bus
krlhall season
The " o ld " refers to the favorites,
as Sherman County and Heppner are
expected to defend their division
titles in the West and h a st. respec
tively
he "n e w “ speaks to the
em ergence of new contenders at
both ends of the conference, promts
ing to provide the CBC with its best
balance in years The "b orrow ed ”
is the adoption of some college rules,
while "b lu e ” is the w ay the coaches
feel when thinking about new. strict
guidelines for bench behavior by
coaches, which may lead to a new
definition of "M r T " by the end of
the season
Both H eppner and Sherm an
Cuunly spent most of last season in
the top fiv e in the State, and CBC
roaches see m ore of the same this
year
Despite the loss of two key
seniors, the Killies of Heppner
return a wealth of experience from a
club that took down third place in
last year 's State tourney Sherman s
Huskies return the nut leus of a team
that held the No I ranking in the
State before succumbing in the
District playoffs
While Sherman is ext«-« ted to
donnnute the West, the hast is not
I icing conceded to Heppner Weston-
McKwen. Crn.it ilia and Pilot Kin k
are all seen as tram s capable of
stepping into the breach if the Killies
falter In fact, the District 7 coaches
see the league as having its best
balance ever at the girls level Such
balance is seen as a good sign for
making the District 7 champion
whom ever it may tie an r\ en
stronger contender for Stale honors
When asked to name the lies!
players in the league. 10-15 players,
from every team in the league, were
mentioned
As the coaches are divided on their
opinions of the best players, so list
are they less than unanimous about
some m ajor rule changes in the
g irls ’ gam e
Both boys and girls
have adopted the possession arrow
replacing the jump ball That rule
has lieen in effect ut the college level
for several years
Several of the
CBC coaches favor the rule, while
the rest aren't so sure Typical of
those who don't like the alternating
possession rule is Weston McKwen
coach Iteggie McShane
These
rule changes make the gam e more
like college and pro games, which is
bad
It takes away some of the
incentive for a player to attempt a
tie up Making the gam e more like a
college gam e takes less talented
teams out of the gam e "
On the
other hand, many couches feel that
the possession arrow speeds up the
action, which is seen as a plus
Another significant change this
year is the introduction of a smaller
liasketball for the females
Again,
the coaches are m ixed in their
reactions, but the general consensus
is that ball handling will improve,
while shooting percentages will
com e out about the same as in the
jxast years
In fact, the biggest
complaints about the smaller ball
O R O W JE S
can
be heard from boy* loaches.
who cringe when they see their
players fooling with the girls' ball
tine subject of unanimous disep
proval was a new code of bench
conduct for coaches I ’nder the new
rule, a roach may not stand up in
front of the bench even to instruct a
player
The only exception is for
"spontaneous reaction to an out
standing play “ All a g rre that the
rule is a response to an outbreak of
official baiting at last year s AAA
tournament, and lament the fact
that the rule is being universally
applied
Most coaches echo
the senti
ments of Hiverside s Dirk Dirksen,
who says "When we re standing u p
and coaching, they shoutdn t T us
1 hope the officials use common
sense "
Wahtonka s (Jene Bivens
suggested that a coaching box,
similar to that used in college
games, might heller address the
problem
Prediction
loo k for a
sharp increase in the number of
spontaneous reactions
In general, the goals of most
teams are the same "get us to the
District tournament and we II take it
from there " District 7A teams have
historically done very well at the
tournament and there Is an added
bonus this year
The District, the
Itegiomil and the state Tournament
are all being played at the same
site Pendleton s Armory But first
things first here s how the league
looks to shape up
Heppner
Kor coach Mike Royer, the biggest
opponent all year may be the trophy
case at the Heppner High School
gym. as Killy fans wonder "what
can they do for an encore’’ "
Heppner fans have been treated to
a third place finish at last year's
A basketball tournament and a fifth
place spot in this year s A volley ball
tourney, but coach Boyer doesn't
think the high expectations will
bother his team
’ ’These girls are competitors
they re working just as hard as ever
because they want to get back to the
State tourney, says the third year
head coach
We have to stress that
we rem it satisfied, said Royer. " I
have to g ive them new challenges,
like adding some new plays "
The run and gun Killies - 18 -4 last
year - return six of their lop eight
players from last year, including
five who started games at one
timer or another la-d by first team
All tournament selection l.ana Iteid.
the Killies will once again play an
up tempo gam e Reid's twin sister
Dana is also a returning starter
Point guard Missy Turner will lie
called on to run the Killies effective
fast break, and to key their pressure
defense Kronlliners Missy Kubanks
und Penny Connor are expected to
provide Ixiard strenghl for Heppner
Boyer has loaded the pro season
schedule logging AAA Heriniston
twice. AA Mac III twice, and meet
mg league powerhouse Sherman
County in a non league match up
"I think it will help
said Royer,
we could be 4 4 in our first 8 games
and still tie okay
This is u senior dominated squad,
and Royer says that they are deter
mined to give it one final shot He
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cautions that the im mediate goal is
to make the District tournament
"K rom there, it's whoever » hot.”
say s Royer "Our defense is the key
to our success If we play it well for
four quarters, we can do well "
Knowing the Killies, anything's
possible
Weston McKwen
TlgerScot basketball fans were
trrated to an unfamiliar sight last
year a winning girls basketball
team If they liked last year, they
may love this year
la d by second team all league
prrform er Karen Bjorklund t S '»”
senior) the girls of second year
skipper Reggie McShane are poised
to make a big move this year The
TigerScots were d e a rly the league s
most improved team at y ea r’s end
last year, and only the presence of
State powers Umatilla and Heppner
kept them out of the District tourna
men I
We fell like we were one of the
four best teams last y ea r." say*
McShane "Our goal this year is to
take it one gam e at a time, and hope
to get to the playoffs "
One distraction for the girls from
Athena W eston may be the schedule
They don't play Heppner until the
last two weeks of the season, and
then meet twice in the last three
games which coach McShane feels
may work to his team 's disadvan
lage as it did last year when Ihe
T ig e rS c o ts drew I'm a tilla und
Sherman County, had to back
McShane would like to see his
team run the ball, and feels that he
has the personnel to do so
"Our
team is DIO players deep which
helps
says McShane "The key to
a running gam e is dev elop the team
concept and to develop our timing
Krom all appearance*, the liming
ma tie just right for W M to run right
to the head of the pack
I'm atilla
It may tie a tough art to follow for
this year s I'm atilla Vikings, but
(kin t start the funeral procession
just yet. as the girls of coach John
Tomas approach the new season
Knthusiasm for Viking liaskethall
was at a fever pitch last season, as
the girls led by current B M f’C’
standout Jeri Wells roared to Ihe
No I spot in the State in the early
runnerup Imbler
The Vikings
finished last season with a gaudy
18 4 record
Coach John Thomas thus begins
his inaugural seavin with slightly
lowered expectations Thomas sets
"a 5ou season ” as a realistic goal
and offers that his team "Could
sneak into the second playoff spot" if
Ihe breaks go this way
Other coaches are not so pessi
mistic. however, noting that Thomas
returns an ample supply of talent
The Vikings w ill once again tie a big
team, with S 'l l " seniors Shirley
Kckleberry and Deanna Adams
working together with S'S" play
maker Tina Hytngton
Thom as sees "a ttitu d e and
balance" as the keys to his tram 's
success
He hopes that a good
pre season schedule will help bring
his tram along He hopes to be able
to go 10-11 deep on his bench, and
cites that factor as a tram strength
Yes. they lost some good talent in
I'm atilla. but expect the Vikes to be
right in the thick of things as the
season goes along
Stanfield
We were unable to catch up with
Tiger Coach Kelly Williams, but
were able to learn about his club
from other coaches >
The Tigers face an uphill battle
this year, in a bid to snag one of the
two playoff spots in the Kastem
Division The Tigers do return some
excellent talent, most notably Linda
l*orfily and Heather Hummel Both
performed well for the Tigers last
year, and should be counted on
heavily again
Most coaches see the Tigers as a
sleeper in Kast, sort of ihe "X
K actor" in a division of heavy
weights Only time will tell if Mr X
can mean a rise in the standings
Pilot Rock
Rockets coach Tim Weinke was
also unavailable for comment by
press time 1
i
Heppner
676-5560
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the CBC Kast. but the smart money
says this don't count out the Rock
Sherman County
The Huskies are pereniaily tough
and last y e a r s 184 record was no
exception Sixth year coach Terry
Rase berg boasts a deep squad, led
by all conference senior Patti Sharp
mentioned most frequently by CBC
coaches as the league s best player
the girls from Morn were the State s
top ranked team until first Heppner
then I'm atilla knocked them out of
the playoffs
The schedule, how
ever, could have been this team s
worst enemy " I don't want to sound
likr we re making excuese
said
Kaseberg. "but because of snow
dates we had to play six games in
fifteen days at the end of the season
We were just drained " The Huskies
coach also noted that his team had
some serious limitations last year
Kaseberg noted that his team
larked for good shooters last year
and by the second time around the
league the other trams had figured
out their weekness
This year he
feels that the Huskies are a belter
balanced ball club, able to utilize
their size 'Sharp is 5'10‘ s ", Senior
lawlie Martin is 5'10" i and also able
to score from the outside
"W e 'r e ten times quicker than we
were last y e a r," said Kaseberg
That should make us liettrr equip
ped to handle pressing teams like
lirppnrr and I'm atilla
Kaseberg see* the league as well
balanced, and rites District 7A as
the best in the State "That ran only
help our league at tournament
lim e ," says Kaseberg That would
be good news for Huskies fans
because they'll protiahly be there
Riverside
Riverside's girls team made their
first e v e r appearance in the District
tournament last year, and would
love to see an instant replay this
lim e around
le d by 5 6" guard Michelle Mark
the Pirates hope to show continued
improvement from last year's mark
of 9 10 The red headed Mark is the
team leader both mentally and
physically, and coach Dirk Dirksen
hopes she can lead the Pirates up
Michelle is a team leader and it
carries over to the rest of her
team m ates." says Dirksen. whoulso
hopes to complement his team with
the play of guard Krannie Sharkey
We have some good youngsters."
says Dirksen. "they should be a big
help on the hoards "
The Pirates hope to develop into a
running team as the season progres
ses, but roach Dirksen realizes that
it lake time to formulate such an
i " .. ■ k
The Pirates w ill be tested e a rly . as
they play both Heppner and
Sherman County in the pre season
W hile D irksen con cedes that
Sherman County is the favorite, he
sees his team with a solid shot at the
playoffs
We hope to build on last year
the expectations of the players are
higher
adds Dirksen With only
one starter missing from last year,
there's every reason for optimism in
Pirate country
Wasco County
Wasco County would like nothing
more than to return to the glory days
of yesteryear, but for now they'd
settle for u trip to the District
Tournament lake most of the CBC
coaches Wasco coach Tony Schack
man expects Sherman County to he
the class of the Western Division,
but he holds out hope that his
halldub an qualify as the West's
other representative to the playoffs
Although only in his second year
as head girls coach. Schuckmun is
no stranger to Bedside basketball,
having served as head hoys coach
for 17 years, and having put in
another six as assistant girls coach
Last year's 8 12 campaign was a
disappointment, but even so the
Bedsides missed the playoffs "by
one point." says Schackman
Wasco County returns only one
starter and can tie expected to
attempt a controlled style of play
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c l ip
t
m ores." states Bivens
Bivens is particularly fond of the
new ball, citing better ball handling
and higher shooting percentages as
results of the rule change
He
expects to see less turnovers than in
past years as a result of the new
equipment
Kor hi* own team Bivens sees the
key to success in good free throw
shooting and tight defense He can’t
count on a very deep bench, so will
need to stay out of foul trouble
Like most roaches. Bivens expects
the West s second playoff spot to be
up for grabs He would like to see
the Kaglesw claw their way into that
second spot "Our goals are to be
the ties! sportsmen posxible and to
try to reach the 500 le v e l," says
Bivens
If the second half comes
true. Ihe Kagles may get an exten
ded season this year and a happy
drive up 15 to Pendleton
w . k -.^
like the UCLA Bruins whether they
have talent in a given year or not.
they do have one thing for certain
tradition
Kor years the loidy Rockets were
one of the dominant teams in Mate A
liaskethall, and it’s only been in the
last two years that they've lieen
displaced at the top of the standings
In talking to CBC coaches they II
all get a little quiet when discussing
The Rock ' All agree that the late
addition of Rcmi Reeser will lie a big
lx lost to the Rockets chances
An
all Ira g u e p e rfo rm e r last yea r,
Reeser mov ed back to the l*R school
district several weeks ago boosting
Rocket stock in the process At the
same time, the Rockets can count on
Karen Doherty. another returning
veteran
o
We re not going to try to run says
Schackman He doe* see his team
with reasonable depth with 8 9
evenly matched players at his dis
posal
The Bedsides coach is staunchly
opposed to the new rule changes
i ipposed to the possession arrow
Schackman sees the bench rule as
addressing p ro b lem s " in
the
Valley
Overall he objects to be the
liveralized fouling calls and feels
that the rulesmakers are trying to
make the high school game too much
like the college gam e
Inclement weather and the holi
day season have put the Bedsides
behind schedule for the start of the
season
We re not ready ." says
Schackman
we may not win a lot
ea rly , but we hope to im prove W e 11
probably be an up and down tram
Hopefully for Wasco County, one of
the ups will be at Pendleton in
March
Wahtonka
"N o way to go but up
probably
best summarizes the Wahtonka
Kaglex. as they strive to up last
year s win total from the five they
nalched a year ago
Kirst-year
coach tim e Riven* is optimistic
about his team s chances, and cites
the overall attitude of his team
We re a very relaxed tram "
slates Bivens
"I'm very excited
atxmt the new year
Bivens will rely on point guard
K iiii Kaiser 5 5 junior and front
liner Dana Krist (5 9 " senior 1 to key
an otherwise very young team
We ll probably start three sopho
The Rockets aren't picked to win
& save
I