Team Preview
The defending state 1A Division I champions from Cottonwood lost a couple of key players from last year's title team.
Kyndahl Ulmer was the state Player of the Year in 1A Division I. She was the team's leading scorer and rebounding, and will also be missed "for her knowledge of the game," Prairie coach Lori Mader said. Also graduated was Nicole Wemhoff, "a true leader at point guard," Mader said.
But the cupboard is not bare.
Kayla Schumacher, a 5-foot-9 senior post/forward, was a first-team all-Idaho selection, and Krystin Uhlenkott, a 5-7 junior post/forward, was the team's Defensive Player of the Year.
After that ...
"We are young, and will see what the season brings us," Mader said. "I believe the more touches the kids can get, the better for our team. Our speed will hopefully be a key for us."
Mader hopes that speed pays off with a trapping defense.
Rebounding is an area of improvement for the team, she said.
Prairie beat White Pine League rival Lawpai in the state title game. The Pirates also play a home-and-home vs. 4A Moscow, and play 5A Lewiston's junior varsity. Prairie's Dec. 12 game at 2A Grangeville, dubbed the Idaho County Shootout, is a fundraiser for the communities' food banks.
"I coach because I love the kids," Mader said. "I am also blessed to coach in the same high school I played in -- I believe in our tradition and community."
Mader said she would also be in favor of adding a shot clock, because "I like how it keeps the pace of the game moving."
She said her school is the best place to coach for because of "the work ethic of the kids, and love for the game and the strong tradition."
Under Mader, who is in her fifth season at Prairie, the Pirates have won two of the last three state titles in 1A Division I, and has nine state titles overall in girls basketball, matching 5A power Coeur d'Alene for the most titles statewide.
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