No. 4 SSC girls get an early wake-up

By JERREL SWENNING
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Sunnyside Christian girls basketball coach Al Smeenk expected early challenges at state.

Just not this early. As in chug-your-latte-and-lace-'em-up early.

Tori Van Wingerden is the leading scorer for fourth-ranked Sunnyside Christian, averaging more than 16 points per game.   GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic

For the first time in his and the Knights' 13 trips to the state tournament, they drew the sun-up special -- the dreaded 9 a.m. tourney opener.

"I'd rather play at any other time," he said. "But someone has to play it."

And in the inaugural Class 1B tournament opening today at the Yakima Valley
SunDome, it's the fourth-ranked Knights (19-3) and Garfield-Palouse (14-9).

In trying to adjust to the rise-and-shoot, er, shine contest, the Knights held two 8:30 a.m. practices this week following afternoon workouts to that point.

"There's not a whole lot you can do, you don't want to get up too early," Smeenk said. "A lot of the kids said, 'Hey, I'm up at that time anyway.'

"Whether we can be a cohesive team might be a challenge."

At least they'll have the comforts of home. Following years of Spokane hotels and restaurants, the Knights are the 'home' team, able to sleep in their own beds and enjoy mom's cooking.

"We've always found the school that lives nearby goes home every night," Smeenk said, "and that's some kind of advantage."

Also advantageous to SSC, is the schedule it played which included four games against foes ranked in the 2B top five.

The Knights split with defending 2B champion La Salle, overcoming 27 turnovers to win at home 57-52 early in the season before falling at Queen's Gym weeks later.

"It only makes us better -- I wish I could play them several times in the year," Smeenk said. "Our goal has always been to play as hard as La Salle."

Sunnyside Christian stayed with but eventually fell to Shoreline Christian (third in the 2B poll) and DeSales (fifth), as well.

"We made our nonleague games as competitive as we could," he said.

That will come in useful as the Knights open with a Garfield-Palouse squad that knocked off second-ranked Sprague-Harrington in district play last weekend.

No. 3 Inchelium could be waiting in the quarterfinals if the Knights get by Gar-Pal.

Another challenge will be the absence of do-it-all junior Emma Newhouse, who suffered a torn ACL and is scheduled for knee surgery next month.

Newhouse was averaging nearly nine points and more than six rebounds per game this season, not to mention the intangibles she brought.

"Emma could do a little bit of everything for us and she was very tough mentally," said Smeenk, who's left to juggle his lineup.

He will count on senior leaders Tori Van Wingerden (16.2 points per game), Brittany Den Hoed (8.2 ppg) and Jacqui Roberts (5.6 ppg) even more.

Newhouse's importance to Knights led to an agreement by Smeenk and Trout Lake-Glenwood coach Roger Huffsmith to let the 5-8 forward score a symbolic basket in the waning moments of the Knights' 60-43 district championship last Friday night.

"It's a way to show her how much she means to our program," Smeenk said.

What Smeenk has meant to Sunnyside Christian is nearly a generation of tradition that has passed down from bloodlines.

"It seems like one big happy family," he said.
A family that's also not afraid to get after it.

"We feel if you put on a Knights uniform, you have to be working hard," Smeenk said.

Even in the morning.