Team Preview
Written by: Sven Alskog
For the second time in as many years for the Kimberly High School girls basketball program a new coach will be manning the sidelines. After a year under Daren Garey, new Head Coach Lawrence Pfefferle takes over trying to improve the fortunes of a team that went 10-9 overall last season. Garey has moved on to coach the boys team at Kimberly.
The transition should be seamless under Pfefferle, who has coached the volleyball team at Kimberly for years. In 2012 he was named the coach of the year for his efforts.
A couple of perimeter playmakers from the previous team have departed in the form of Kenzie Watts and Tenli Bright.
Being asked to step up in their place are some players who were a part of the unit last season, although not in as large of roles. Around the perimeter, senior guard Taylan Beymer will be tasked with being one of the primary distributors, while also scoring herself and helping coach up the younger players who are coming up through the program.
The strength of the Lady Dawgs should be their interior play led by 5’11” junior post Maysie Rongen, one of the more productive players for Kimberly last year. Although she does have good height, the team is still fairly undersized for the 3A level, something which really showed in matchups with Filer last season, a team which had arguably the two best interior players in the state, both of which have now departed due to graduation. Kimberly never eclipsed 25 points when going against the Wildcats.
Along with Rongen, Lexy Phillips will be asked to make a big impact filling up the basket and locking down the scorers for the opposition.
Recently within conference play the Lady Dawgs have been the primary competition for Filer, although they have not beaten the Wildcats since Dec. 8, 2011 at home by a 54-47 final, an ode to just how dominant Filer has been in conference play since that time.
Pfefferle wants to see a disciplined and efficient style from his team.
This season could be the beginning of a change of the guard, with Filer having graduated its three best players. Even with the losses it is expected for the Wildcats to simply reload, something they have been able to do successfully under Head Coach Kody Ketterling. Outside of Filer, Kimberly will be squaring off with Gooding and Buhl in 3A Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference play.
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