Photo By Steve Conner - #5 Josie Steadman
3A South East Idaho Conference Preview
Written by Madison Guernsey
Players to Watch
Emma Barclay (American Falls)
Grace Barclay (American Falls)
Mckenzie Long (American Falls)
Zoie Armstrong (Marsh Valley)
Adia Goff (Snake River)
Josee Steadman (Snake River)
Sage Stimpson (Snake River)
It's been lost in the dominance displayed elsewhere in recent seasons, but the South East Idaho Conference consistently boasts some of the most talented teams in the 3A classification.
The conference has been represented in five of the last nine state title games, a number bested by only the Intermountain League (six) during that span. Snake River was the SEI's most recent participant, falling to Timberlake last winter.
With many of last year's key contributors and all-conference honorees back for another go-round, the league figures to retain its standing as one of the best in the state.
“I really don’t think that any team will surprise anyone this year,” American Falls coach Stephen Grigg said. “This could be the year that any team in our conference could come out on top.”
Snake River, after last year's state runner-up finish, reloads with three returning all-conference players. Tops among them is senior point forward Josee Steadman, who was first-team all-state after averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game as a junior. She isn't a typical offensive pacesetter at 5-foot-11, but possesses an all-around game that's rarely seen at the 3A level – she made 15 3-pointers in three games at state last season to set a new 3A state tournament record.
Joining her are returning all-conference seniors Adia Goff and Sage Stimpson. The trio will help Snake River stay steady on defense, which coach Jeff Steadman highlighted as a team strength, while improving the Panthers' offensive game.
Despite last season's conference championship and state runner-up finish, Snake River struggled to put teams away, compiling an average point differential of plus-3.6. Coach Steadman hopes some rising underclassmen can help.
“We have several underclassmen,” he said. “Any one or more of them could step up and make a big impact for us.”
Marsh Valley was the only SEI team to beat Snake River last season and brings back its best player, senior all-conference point guard Zoie Armstrong. The Eagles played a daunting schedule last season but were rarely a pushover, suffering nine of their 12 losses by 10 points or fewer, and fell just short of a state tournament berth, losing to Teton in a regional play-in.
Coach Kyle McQuivey hopes to see improved teamwork and chemistry this season, but complimented his team's positive attitude.
Then there's the American Falls Beavers, who – even according to their head coach – have been the “doormat” of the conference in recent seasons, but are consensus candidates to surprise in 2020-21.
A.F. matches Snake River with three returning all-conference players, led by senior point guard Mckenzie Long, and at 10-12 last season, had its best results under Grigg.
In Grigg's first two seasons, American Falls tallied a combined record of 3-43.
“American Falls is improving each year and should be stepping forward again this year,” Jeff Steadman said.
“They are improving by leaps and bounds,” McQuivey added.
Grigg highlighted his team's athleticism and ability to run the open floor, but emphasized that it needs to avoid letting opponents build insurmountable leads.
“Last year we struggled to stay consistent,” Grigg said. “We need to not allow teams to go on runs and dig ourselves a hole in the game.”
With only one guaranteed state tournament berth, each conference game, as always, is immensely important in the three-team league. No conference game was decided by more than 13 points a season ago, and the contests may be tighter this time around.
“It will be a dogfight this year,” Grigg said.