PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kirsten Krause, Grace Lutheran
Lexi Bird, Leadore
Kalli Huston, Leadore
Danika Seefried, Mackay
Kaydence Seefried, Mackay
Hayden Corta, North Gem
Samantha Yost, North Gem
Autumn Farr, Rockland
Alexa Permann, Rockland
Calyn Permann, Rockland
Destinee Whiteman, Sho-Ban
Lily Jardine, Taylor’s Crossing
Kaitlyn Syverson, Watersprings

Written by: Brandon Baney

Trivia time! What’s the largest conference in Idaho girls basketball?

It’s the 1AD2 Rocky Mountain Conference, which has been a nine-team behemoth in years past. This year, though? The league has ballooned to eleven members, as Alturas Prep and American Heritage are competing in varsity basketball for the first time.

So naturally, when we polled the league’s coaches for their preseason predictions, the answers varied significantly. From what we can gather, there are a minimum of seven teams that could grab one of the two bids available to state from the district.

Let’s start at the top. Mackay was officially the winner of our preseason poll, and had an interesting season a year ago. The Miners went 19-5, but failed to reach the 1AD2 State Tournament after finishing behind both Rockland and Leadore at districts. Mackay said goodbye to three seniors in the offseason, but they were all impactful players: six-foot center Megan Moore, silky-smooth forward Halle Holt, and multi-sport athlete Rylee Teichert.

Second-year coach Josh Pehrson has plenty of varsity returnees to rely on, though, starting with senior Kaydence Seefried, a returning starter from a year ago. If players like Kaydence’s younger sister Danika, Makelle Holt and Alyssa Pehrson can make strides in their sophomore years, Mackay could have a stranglehold on the league for the next several years.

Leadore was picked to finish second in our preseason poll, and the Mustangs are aiming to qualify for state for the third year in a row. Head coach Janet Proulx is hoping to re-load rather than re-bulid, as All-Conference performers Sadie Bird and Mackenzie Mackay both graduated. “They were the workhorses of our team,” Proulx says. “They led our team all four years of their high school careers and they will definitely be missed as we approach this season.”

However…”We’re not looking to replace the Bird-Mackay combo,” Proulx says. “Instead, we want to find a new combination that will work for us.”

Sadie’s younger sister, sophomore Lexi Bird, is a returning starter at center. She’ll be joined down low by senior Kalli Huston. “Luckily, we are going to be pretty diverse on offense this year,” Proulx says. “We will continue to have a strong inside game led by Lexi and Kalli. Our midrange game will be solidified by Chloe Carver and Azelynn Jones.”

The fifth member of Leadore’s starting lineup is junior guard Kayle Kesl, who will lead the Mustangs’ defensive efforts. “She’s been our red heeler since her first year,” Proulx says. “She has a tenacity that will hopefully fuel the fire for the rest of the team.”

Small but mighty Grace Lutheran lands at third in our preseason poll. The Royals recently qualified for their first state tournament (regardless of sport) in school history, as their volleyball team finished with an impressive 23-2 record and a third place finish. Many of the same athletes will simply swap out uniforms, but the problem coach Ryan Strehlow will have to navigate is low numbers. Despite the success in volleyball, Grace Lutheran only had seven players this fall, and last year’s basketball team featured only six.

The list of athletes at Grace Lutheran starts with junior Kirsten Krause, a key cog of that 23-2 volleyball team. In fact, Krause is the only returning member of last year’s 1st Team All-Conference squad in the entire league. Junior Samantha Moretti and freshman Sarah Krause will be key members of the Royals’ team as well.

Defending league champion Rockland slid all the way down to fourth in our preseason poll. The Bulldogs went 22-4 a year ago, and claimed the third place trophy at the 1AD2 State Tournament. Five seniors departed via graduation, and then came the real stunner: in October, longtime coach Vern Nelson announced his retirement. Nelson had coached at Rockland for 28 years, and helped the Bulldogs win their only girls basketball state championships in school history, in 2020 and 2022.

Jordan Black is the new general for Rockland, and he boasts a luxury few others have: a proven post with size. Six-foot junior Autumn Farr will anchor the inside game, and she is surrounded by athletic guards like Alexa Permann, Calyn Permann, and Harmony Boyer.

Watersprings checks in at number five on our preseason poll. First-year head coach Heidi Olson has a solid nucleus to build around, as she welcomes back returning starters Kaitlyn Syverson and Libby Grijalva. A freshman, Caroline Combs, is expected to handle point guard duties for a team that has potential. “We’ve got height and good shooters,” says Olson.

Sho-Ban was picked sixth in our preseason poll. The Chiefs are a bit of a mystery, as they also have a first-year coach in Quinn Dayley. Last year’s team went 11-9, and Sho-Ban fielded a deep, athletic team that gave opponents fits. Like so many in this conference, Sho-Ban’s fortunes rest on how many athletes come out to play.

North Gem and Taylor’s Crossing finished tied for seventh in our preseason poll. North Gem coach Ken Christensen was tight-lipped about his team’s prospects for this year, except to say that seniors Samantha Yost and Hayden Corta will lead an inside-out attack.

Even less is know about Taylor’s Crossing. Coach Staci Piquet’s team went winless a year ago, finishing 0-13, but the Eagles’ volleyball team was feisty this fall, giving Taylor’s Crossing fans some hope for a strong basketball season, as well.

Clark County is one of Idaho’s smallest high schools in terms of enrollment, so the number crunch is always in play in Dubois. Second-year Bobcats coach Bry Fenske will try to improve upon last year’s 2-16 mark.

Finally, American Heritage Charter School and Alturas Preparatory Academy are dipping their toes into the varsity waters for the first time in 2023-24. Both schools will play a modified schedule, featuring some but not all of the Rocky Mountain Conference’s teams. Regardless, it’s always exciting to see more opportunities for young athletes in Idaho.