Players to Watch:
Paige Adair, American Falls
Zoie Grigg, American Falls
Camri Campbell, Marsh Valley
Sarah Sutton, Marsh Valley
Reese Baldwin, Snake River
Rylie Edlefsen, Snake River
Written by: Christian Weaner
The three-team 3A South East Idaho Conference (SEIC) seems to be up for grabs this year after a surprising finish to the 2021-22 season that revealed the small margin that separates the conference best and worst teams.
The preseason poll has reigning champion Snake River, runner-up American Falls and regular season second place Marsh Valley deadlocked in a three-way tie, and for good reason.
Snake River enters the 2022-23 season after going 22-6 and placing third at state last year, and the Panthers will be lead once again by junior point guard Rylie Edlefsen, who scored 14.2 points per game and earned First Team All-State honors as a sophomore.
"She is a good player that can break you down in several different ways," American Falls Head Coach Stephen Grigg said of Edlefsen. "She is a challenge for anyone guarding her."
Last season, American Falls went 0-4 in regular season SEIC play, but they nearly made a magical run through the 2022 3A District 5 Tournament, knocking off Marsh Valley and Snake River in consecutive games before being bested twice by the Panthers in the championship round and narrowly missing out on making state.
Grigg, entering his sixth year as the head coach at American Falls, lost star point guard Raquel Fehringer — a Second Team All-State selection last season — to graduation but the Beavers still return four starters from the 2021-22 squad and another senior who played a lot of valuable minutes. Seniors Paige Adair, Zoie Grigg, Sienna Cox, Halee Bogen and Macy Hall all have high basketball IQ, according to Grigg, and they will be big contributors for American Falls on both sides of the court.
Marsh Valley, meanwhile, will be lead by first-year Head Coach Ashley Baker this season. The Eagles lost a large chunk of their scoring and rebounding production, but they do return seniors Sarah Sutton and Camri Campbell, who each played extensively last season and should lead the team this season.