PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brooke Hardy, Fruitland
Aleksi Drollinger, Fruitland
Olivia Asumendi, Homedale
Arlett Quezada, Homedale
Gabi Green, McCall-Donnelly
Izzy Tinney, McCall-Donnelly
Rylie Calkins, Parma
Sidney Jackson, Parma
Kaidance Kaiser, Parma
Zoey Collingwood, Payette
Sianna Gable, Payette
Kailee Lerew, Weiser
Ellie Shirts, Weiser
Written by: Will Hoenike
The Parma Panthers won 20 basketball games last season. They won 18 the season before that and 17 the season before that. Back in the 2019-20 season, Parma collected 21 wins. And in 2018-19, it was 23 wins.
That’s 99 wins in the past five seasons for Parma. There’s one missing. Elusive no. 100 – that
would be a state championship during that run.
The Panthers have qualified for State each season during the impressive run but have not come home with the ultimate prize. For head coach Michael Calkins, he’s got a team that should compete for a berth to the state tournament, but can it be the last team standing at the Ford Idaho Center on Saturday, February 27, 2024?
“I can’t wait to see the growth of this team from last year to this year,” Calkins said. “We only graduated one player off a 20-win season, so this group will have played a ton of games together. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
The Panthers are led by a trio of talented, quick guards in Sidney Jackson, Rylie Calkins, and Kaidance Kaiser. Jackson and Calkins are among the conference’s top shooters while Kaiser isn’t afraid to attack the paint. Haylee Gentry and Zoey Heffelfinger are also juniors who will be counted on to provide contributions for the Panthers this season.
The team that got the best of Parma down the stretch last season was Weiser. Head coach Laraine Harrison’s team won 23 games last season and edged Parma in both the 3A SRV district title game, and also in the consolation final at the state tournament. The Wolverines also bring back a talented backcourt in senior Kendall Ryneareson and junior Kailee Larew and that pair will be joined by sophomore Ellie Shirts.
“We have a lot of girls who have a lot of toughness and intensity about them,” Harrison said. “They aren’t afraid to get after it and work hard.”
Harrison also likes her rotation of post players, which includes Hailey Eames, Paisley Noyer and Jayden Higley. Calkins admits his Parma team is undersized, so Weiser’s depth down low could be a key factor when these two teams meet on January 8 and January 23.
The Fruitland Grizzlies graduated five seniors off an 18-win team that reached the 3A state play-in game before losing to Teton. While sophomore post player Brooke Hardy returns, the loss of all-conference performers Payton Fritts and Jane Gibson will be felt. Juniors Aleksi Drollinger and Lydia Lindsey should step into bigger roles for the Grizzlies this season.
Lexi Onthank is in her first season as the head coach of the McCall-Donnelly Vandals but she’s hardly new to the program. She’s been coaching in the program in one capacity or another for three seasons, so she’s familiar with the players suiting up for her this winter, even though they may not have starred for the varsity program in recent years.
“We want to play with pace as we are guard heavy. We have good speed as a team, and like to play up tempo which can be hard for teams to prepare for,” Onthank said. “I think the biggest thing for us is maturing as a group.”
All-conference guard Gabi Green returns for the Vandals, as does fellow senior Cassidy Crockett. Sophomore Izzy Tinney was an honorable mention all-conference selection as a freshman.
Homedale returns senior post player Olivia Asumendi, who didn’t play last year, along with senior guard Arlett Quezada. Beyond that, head coach Benji Sorensen’s team is young and will lean on a solid group of sophomores. Kierstley Roseborough, Tiana Sorenson, Belen Asumendi, Stella Heck, and Stephanie Quezada fill out a good group of tenth graders that give the Trojans a good nucleus to build from for the next three seasons.
Mike Boudreau, the former boys basketball coach at Payette, has taken the helm of the girls program this season. The Pirates won just four games last season and were winless in SRV conference play but Boudreau believes this group of players could right the ship in Payette.
“The girls’ heart,” he said when asked what excites him about his group. “Their outlook on what could be and what will come with some work and dedication. And becoming a part of the change for the Payette girls program.”
Seniors Zoey Collingwood and Lahela Bartolome will lead a team that includes nine juniors this season.