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Oakley High School
School Info
Conference: 1AD1 Snake River Conference
Classification: 1A D1
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Head Coach: Matt Payton
Years as Head Coach: 4th Season
Record Last Year: 14-11
State Titles: 1930
Assistant Coaches:
Varsity Assistant- Matt Mallory
Head JV- Jerry Zollinger
JV Assistant- David Critchfield
Returning Players:
Talia Elquist #1 G 12
Jayci Hawker #3 G 12
Abbey Jones #5 G 12
Rhendi Payton #10 G 12
Racheal Mitton #34 P 10
Brittany Hardy #24 P 10
Haley Critchfield P 12
Returning Players with Honors:
Jayci Hawker- 1st team All-Conference
Rachael Mitton and Talia Elquist-2nd team All-Conference
Abbey Jones- Honorable Mention All-Conference
Jayci Hawker- Idaho Sports Player of the Game, second round game at state 2015
Rhendi Payton- Idaho Sports Player of the Game, consolation game at state 2015
“Key Players” lost from last year:
Graduated one senior last year.
Incoming “impact” players:
Haley Critchfield, a starter her sophomore and junior year, is returning this year from an ACL injury suffered in last year's first game of the season.
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Team Preview
Written by: Sven Alskog
The Hornets got a taste of the immense potential around the girls basketball program last season, with the team winning two games at the state tournament.
This time around, Head Coach Matt Payton returns all five starters, a rarity in high school sports.
Oakley looks to take full advantage of their more seasoned roster this time around.
Leading the charge will be First Team All-Conference returnees Rachael Mitton and Talia Elquist, along with Second Team All-Conference performer Abbey Jones.
The starting five is completed with Rhendi Payton and Jayci Hawker.
Mitton is the low post presence, while the other four allow the Hornets to spread the ball around, as each can put points on the board in a hurry.
If returning all five starters wasn’t enough for Oakley, they also return Haley Critchfield, a senior who tore her ACL in the first game last season after being a starter the year prior.
While there is plenty of athleticism on the floor, the key will be turning it into a consistent weapon.
“We need to push the ball better and attack the glass on the offensive end of the court,” said Payton. “Take care of the ball.”
With so many options, look for the Hornets to have fresher legs than their opponents late in games.
“We have quite a few players that can all see some playing time, so we want to play hard and quick on both ends of the court,” said Payton.
The time is now for Oakley, as four members of the starting five are seniors. Out of the returners, only Mitton and Brittany Hardy, both sophomore posts, are not in their final year.
After a 14-11 mark last season, expect the Hornets to approach or eclipse the 20 win mark, threatening Prairie and Lapwai for the title in the 1AD1 classification.
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