Playing a board game

Naches Valley's Willmarth knows
rebounds will be key early
 
By PAUL SHUGAR
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Cris Willmarth's two eyes will go different directions during the Class 1A girls tournament — one toward the scoreboard, the other down to his assistant coach's rebound tally.

Naches Valley's Monique Wickenhagen gets off a shot against Burbank in district play in Zillah.   SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic

If the Naches Valley girls are ahead in the latter, than Willmarth won't be surprised if his team is leading the former in the SunDome. Hustle, speed and tough defense have been part of his diminutive squad all season, but team rebounding is what seals up wins.

"It seems on the first day that nobody shoots great, especially on the first day," said Willmarth, whose fifth-ranked Rangers enter the tournament with a 20-3 overall record. "So the biggest thing for day one is rebounding. If we can limit the other team — because we're not really a tall team — to one shot each possession, then I'll feel pretty good about it."

Eighth-ranked Zillah joins Naches Valley as the only two local teams in a loaded bracket full of hopefuls to win the state championship. The Leopards start off the tournament with a 2 p.m. game against seventh-ranked Chelan, and the Rangers follow against White Salmon at 4 p.m.

NV's side of the bracket is tough with Lynden Christian (No. 2), Burbank (No. 3), Colfax (No. 4) and Seattle Christian (No. 10) all jammed in along with Toledo, which received votes in the last state poll. White Salmon is the only team without voter recognition, but it has the height that could cause trouble for the small Rangers if they struggle to find their shots.

From there a matchup with the winner of the game between Colfax, which won the last three Class 1A state championships in the SunDome, and Seattle Christian awaits in the second round. A huge test for a team with one of the better guard duos in the state in Monique Wickenhagen and Megan Mortimer.

Both were part of the Class 2A team that didn't place last year and has only three losses on the season — once to state qualifiers Burbank and Connell along with what Willmarth describes as an inexplicable loss to Cashmere. Wickenhagen is battling a wrist injury but expects to be fully healthy for the tournament opener.

"We like to think we can play with anybody in the tournament — we like to believe that," Willmarth said. "If we play well and work hard we can do it, but we've got to do it for four days."

Zillah coach Mindi Winters carries similar thoughts into state after watching the Leopard offense come alive at the end of the SCAC district tournament. They have a plethora of offensive threats with Joelle Patterson and Bayli Ziegler, junior varsity players a year ago, leading the offense.

Combine this with 6-foot post player Rosebud Guthrie and Felicia Gonzales, and Zillah can explode for plenty of points on any night. Something they will need with a potential game against Connell, the SCAC district champ, looming in the second round and either top-ranked King's or fifth-ranked Brewster in the semifinals.

The Leopards first must worry about slowing down Chelan, a former 2A school that knocked Naches Valley out of the state tournament last year before finishing fourth. The Goats are 22-3 this season and two of those losses are against Brewster and Ellensburg, a 2A state hopeful.

"I'm just stressing team defense and overall team play," said Winters, whose squad is 19-5 overall — all losses to current 1A state qualifiers — and finished sixth at the 1A tournament last year. "I love that all year we've had quite a few offensive scoring threats, but we have so many threats that sometimes we're too unselfish and at times too selfish.

"I really want to stress this week that the team scores."