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Conference Preview

COACHES POLL
T-1. Sugar-Salem
T-1. Teton
3. South Fremont

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Karlee Thueson, South Fremont
Cambrie Streit, Teton
Waklee Kunz, Teton
Macey Fillmore, Sugar-Salem

3A Mountain Rivers Conference Preview
Written by Brandon Hill

With three consecutive trips to the state championship game under the belt of the Sugar-Salem Diggers, it’s hard to imagine any other squad representing the 3A Mountain Rivers Conference in the postseason.

Sugar-Salem notched it’s second straight title last season after defeating Parma 57-40, capping off a 24-2 season. Those two losses came in just the opening month of the season, with losses to Marsh Valley and Soda Springs preceding a 22-game winning streak.

In many of those games, the Diggers didn’t have to break a sweat, scoring more than 50 points in the final nine games of the year. Sugar-Salem shows little signs of stopping in the early months of this season with three straight wins through the opening weeks with a point differential hovering just under 30.

But while the conference seems to belong firmly in the grasp of the Diggers, Teton and South Fremont’s offseason developments should make the race to the top of the Mountain Rivers interesting.

Teton and head coach Shon Kunz return five seniors to a squad that finished 12-14 last year, with every one of those starters earning minutes since their sophomore year.

“This team is much improved from last year’s team, with more vocal leadership and state experience,” Kunz said. “We have a balanced attack both defensively and offensively. Our team can drive for easy buckets and dish out to open 3s.”

Teton will look to challenge the Digger offense from downtown, as Kunz identified his entire team as a serious threat from beyond the arc.

“We have a balanced attack on offense with every girl on the team a threat from the 3-point line,” Kunz said. “Our girls have had a taste for what state competition is like and come in with a winning mindset.”

Right behind Teton, South Fremont and head coach Ryan Campbell are coming off an 11-12 season. The Huskies take the court without Olivia Lecheminant, a first-team all-conference post who Campbell said will be greatly missed due to her leadership in the locker room.

“The offense generally ran through Olivia and she was very tough to guard,” Campbell said.

Campbell and his three seniors will look to keep the offense chugging along without the production of Lecheminant. Karlee Thueson, a second-team all-conference selection in 2019, seems to be the likely successor of Lecheminant’s legacy.

But outside of Thueson, Campbell said the balance of his team excites him the most heading into the new year.

“We have multiple girls who can defend and score on any given night which will allow us to not have to rely on anyone girl, but I am most excited about our team’s ability to defend,” Campbell said. “Our girls are small, quick. and aggressive defenders who will get in an opponent’s face on defense and make them very uncomfortable for 32 minutes.”