Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Kimberly
2. Gooding
3. Filer
4. Buhl
Players to Watch
Reece Garey, Kimberly
Kelsy Stanger, Kimberly
Mekell Wright, Kimberly
Alx Roe, Gooding
Lexi Monson, Filer
Trinity Trvdy, Buhl
Written by: Brandon Baney
When assessing the Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference in 2021-22, two things are clear: Kimberly is the overwhelming favorite. And beyond that it's anyone's guess.
The Bulldogs earned the nod in the preseason coaches poll, despite finishing just 10-11 a year ago. That's because Kimberly didn't lose a single player to graduation, while every other team was at least somewhat impacted by graduation losses.
Reece Garey and Mekell Wright earned All-Conference honors a year ago for Kimberly, and will be joined by returning starters Kelsy Stanger and Shelby Moeller. "We had little experience and didn’t show a lot of trust (last year)," says head coach Stanley Watts. "(We're hoping) that all of the experience the young players earned last year can be built on for a successful year (this season.)"
Gooding, Filer and Buhl all return a talented playmaker and leader. The question is: which team can find the complementary pieces needed to challenge Kimberly?
Filer returns one of the best all-around athletes in the conference in Lexi Monson. The Wildcats went 18-6 overall last year and 6-0 in the conference. They lost to Sugar-Salem in the state 3A semifinals, but rebounded to defeat Parma for third place. Filer's biggest loss may have come from the bench, as head coach Michael Amaya left to take the girls basketball job at Twin Falls High. He will be replaced by Clayton Nebeker.
Gooding knows what it's like to break in a new coach, as Derrick Lyons took over the Senators' program last year after spending the previous three years at Hagerman. Senior forward/post Alx Roe was a 1st Team All-SCIC selection a year ago, while senior guard Reece Fleming also earned all-league honors. "We rebounded the ball well last year and hope to see that same success this season," Lyons says. "Our shooting percentages in general weren’t as good as we would have liked and we hope to improve close to the basket."
When asked which SCIC team had the most potential this year, Lyons answered: "Buhl. They have a lot younger girls that should be capable of helping their team and I see them being competitive in the conference this year."
The Indians, led by fourth-year coach Dan Hill, will rely on senior guards Trinity Tvrdy and Kimberly Sherman. Those two will be joined by a rash of varsity newcomers. "We have several players coming to varsity that will make an immediate impact," coach Hill says. "Aspen Eckert and Meghan Montgomery are going to add some ballhanding and take the load off of our other guards. Justine Payne and Macey Vulgamore also will be adding athleticism and aggressiveness to our team."
Hill is hoping that Buhl's smothering half-court defense, combined with less turnovers, will make the Indians a tough out in 2021-22. "We struggled as a team with turnovers last year. (In) most of our games the opponent had significantly more field goal attempts than we did," Hill says. "I think we made good progress this summer as far as valuing the basketball and we will have some lineups on the floor where three girls have run the point before, which will definitely take pressure off each other."