Players to Watch:
Kaylee Smith, Canyon Ridge
Ava Stokes, Canyon Ridge
Daisy Agado, Highland
Devree Bell, Highland
Maggie Anderson, Madison
Mia Walsh, Madison
Nora Waddoups, Madison
Kinzley Larsen, Rigby
Tiade Togiai, Rigby
Neveah Davenport, Thunder Ridge
Rylin Jackson, Thunder Ridge
Written by: Marlowe Hereford
The former members of 5A District 5-6 have moved up to 6A this season and added Canyon Ridge from District 4 to form a five-team conference.
Rigby moves to 6A as repeat 5A District 5-6 champions. The Trojans return senior center Tiade Togiai (all-conference honorable mention), junior forward Bailey Barber, junior guard Kinzley Larsen (second team all-conference) and senior guard Sidney Berrett from last year's 23-4 team which made it to the 5A state third place game.
Kambree Barber (5A District 5-6 All-Conference Player of the Year now at BYU), Mylee Graham (first team all-conference, now at Utah Tech), Kylie Dansie (first team all-conference) and Abbie Scott (all-conference honorable mention, two-time 5A girls pole vault state champion now at Utah State for track and field) graduated.
Head coach Todd Barber said while the Trojans are inexperienced, they are all great basketball players.
"We will see how that will translate into games," Barber said.
Highland is led by a second-year head coach in Brooke Ward, who joined the program last year from Century High School. The Rams return junior guard Devree Bell (second team all-conference), junior forward Gracee Anderson and senior guard Daisy Agado (all-conference honorable mention), but lost last year's starting point guard Baili Briscoe, a junior, to an ACL tear during soccer season.
Bell and Agado, both guards, and Anderson, a forward, are just as strong on defense as they are on offense for the Rams.
"We have grown together as a team over the past year," Ward said. "We had a very young team last year. This year, we are returning many varsity starters (minus our point guard Baili Briscoe) that have learned how to work together and overcome tough situations. We look forward to seeing how they continue to develop. We have some sophomores we hope to see contribute and help with the point guard position."
Madison graduated only one starter, first-team all-conference center Roxie Backstein, from last year's 18-10 team which made it to the state tournament for the first time in six years. Ward and Barber both tabbed the Bobcats as a team to watch in the conference.
"They have the most returning players who played significant minutes every game last year," Barber said.
The Bobcats' top returners are all upperclassmen: senior guard Maggie Anderson (second team all-conference), senior forward Nora Waddoups (all-conference honorable mention), junior guard Mia Walsh (first team all-conference), junior forward Torey Parker and senior center Emily Stoeber.
Speed on offense and excelling at playing multiple defenses are strengths of this Madison team.
"We like to fast break whenever possible," head coach Luke Sutton said. "We play a lot of zone defense and hope to keep offenses guessing by switching between 2-3 zone, 1-2-2 zone and man-to-man."
Sutton added that the Bobcats are aiming to improve their full court pressure. In addition to only graduating one starter, Sutton added this is a group that is used to winning.
"We have several players who are coming off of their third state volleyball title in a row and they hate to lose," Sutton said.
Thunder Ridge has a new coach in Chelsie Boyle. The Titans graduated five players from last year's 9-15 team, but return junior guard Nevaeh Davenport, who received second team all-conference.
Canyon Ridge graduated two players from last year's 1-17 team which was a member of 4A District 4. The Riverhawks are in their second season with Jesse Clark as head coach.