PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kenley Olson, Camas County
Gigi Weber, Camas County
Saige Hubert, Dietrich
Jessika Power, Dietrich
Aleigha Robertson, Dietrich
Annalise Colt, Hagerman
Danica Knapp, Hagerman
Kasey Hendren, Richfield
Shelby Jones, Richfield
Jaci Telford, Richfield

Written by: Will Hoenike

The Dietrich Blue Devils posted an impressive, 22-win campaign in 2022-23, reaching the 1A Division 2 state championship game under head coach Rick Astle. The team welcomes back a solid core of players this season that could put them in position to repeat as district champions and advance back to the state tournament.

For starters, the team welcomes back the reigning Sawtooth Conference defensive player of the year, senior Saige Hubert. The 5-foot-6 guard may be asked to take on a larger role with the departure of conference MVP, Hailey Astle, but Hubert will have help. Junior Aleigha Robertson returns to the team’s backcourt while the team boasts depth in the frontcourt in returning varsity contributors Jessika Power (first team All-Sawtooth) and Ellie Hoskisson (second team All-Sawtooth). Junior Kate Wanamaker, a 5-foot-11 junior, should also see key minutes in the post for the Blue Devils.

“We’re fast and tenacious,” Astle said of his team. “The girls can all get to the basket.”

Dietrich’s biggest challenge for the district crown may come from just thirteen miles north, Richfield. The Tigers return senior guard Kasey Hendren, a proven scorer who netted 25 of her team’s 36 points in Richfield’s season-opening win over 2A Wendell early in November. Hendren was the conference’s offensive player of the year last year and, the year before, she was second team All-State as a sophomore.

But she also has help. Senior Shelby Jones is back in the paint along with senior Clancy Patterson for the Tigers and so is sophomore guard Malia Kent, who missed last season due to injury. Kent will team with senior Jaci Telford to support Hendren in the backcourt. Sophomore Bella Race adds depth and balance to the Tigers’ lineup as well.

“We had some players last year playing out of necessity rather than because they were ready,” said Richfield head coach Buck Hendren. “With a year of varsity experience, they should be ready this year.”

Hagerman head coach Nick Gonzales has 20 girls out for basketball along the Snake River, a sign that good days could be on the horizon for the Pirates. He’ll lean on returning backcourt players Danica Knapp and Annalise Colt, neither of whom are seniors – Knapp is a junior, Colt a sophomore. The team will look to other sophomores, like Jasmine Peiffer and Abbagayle Colt, to step into larger roles for the Pirates this season.

The fourth team in the Sawtooth Conference, Camas County, is building from a youthful base. The team graduated just one senior, Bre Ashmead, from last year’s squad and junior Gigi Weber and sophomore Kenley Olsen return to lead the team. Denise Whittemore and Megahn Berndt, who are sisters and each played college-level athletics, are serving as co-coaches for the Mushers.