Players to Watch:
Kielee Mack, Cascade
Claire Pierce, Cascade
Emma Davis, Garden Valley
Gabby Gillette, Garden Valley
Lauren Rule, Greenleaf Friends
Kimber Jones, Horseshoe Bend
Ashlyn Wolsleben, Horseshoe Bend
Taylor Ewing, Salmon River
Rylee Walters, Salmon River
Emma Barton, Tri-Valley
Stella Warren, Tri-Valley
Written by: Will Hoenike
The 2023-24 Long Pin Conference had four teams win at least 13 games last season, led by the 18 wins from state-qualifier Salmon River. Head coach Levi Tucker returns the core of what may be one of the youngest, yet most experienced groups in the 1A classification.
Junior Rylee Walters enters her fourth season on varsity – you read that right, a junior going into her fourth season (IHSAA rules allowed her to suit up for the Savages as an 8th grader) – giving her a level of experience that most of her peers do not have. The 5-foot-8 guard was first-team All-Conference last season for a team that reached the 1A Division 2 (now just 1A) consolation finals.
“Last year, we were the youngest team at the state tournament,” Tucker said. “We’re returning four starters, excited about the growth of the entire team.”
The only starter not returning, departed senior Rainey Walters, will be missed. But Tucker has good players ready to take on larger roles. The younger Walters will be joined in the backcourt by sophomores Taylor Ewing and Audrey Tucker. Another sophomore, post Raydin Hayes, and a freshman, guard Kennedy Wilson, figure to round out the core of the Salmon River squad this season.
Another team that brings back a solid core of contributors is Tri-Valley. Head coach Bryan Steed brings back Stella and Lola Warren, each of whom figure to play key roles this season. Stella, a senior, was first-team All-Long Pin last season while Lola, a sophomore, returns as well. The Titans won 14 games last season and also return senior Emma Barton, giving Steed and the fans of the Cambridge and Midvale athletic cooperative reason for optimism this season.
And yet another team coming off of a solid 2023-24 campaign is Garden Valley. The Wolverines, led by second-year head coach Joel LaFleur, are coming off a 13-win campaign and return a pair of talented senior forwards, Gabby Gillette and Emma Davis. Gillette averaged nearly five rebounds and three steals per game as a junior and will likely be looked upon to carry more of the scoring load following the graduation of leading scorer Kadence Jacobs.
“I am excited about the mix we have of seniors and underclassmen who are hungry to have some success,” LaFleur noted. “Freshman twins Hailey and Holley Hove will set the tone for us defensively with great, relentless on-ball pressure. Couple that with Emma Davis’s athleticism and Gabby Gillette’s tremendous tenacity and I think we have the capability to keep teams from getting away from us.”
Both Cascade and Horseshoe Bend are anxious for an opportunity to move into the upper tier of the Long Pin this season. Linzee Green takes the helm at Cascade and will look to help the Ramblers jump up in the standings with a veteran team returning, led by the point guard tandem of Kielee Mack (Sr.) and Lily Gerzine (Jr.) along with senior forwards Claire Pierce and Allyson Bailey.
“I’m really excited to get the season started and to see our girls compete. We have a few girls who are capable of doing some good things and we’re all excited for the challenges we will experience,” Green said. “With a new coach and new incoming players, chemistry will be important.”
Those incoming players include a trio of freshmen – Lilah Olson, Addie Hull, and Charlotte Dunn – and junior Cedar Saxton.
For Horseshoe Bend, head coach Kenny Beckman returns honorable-mention All-Long Pin performer Ashlyn Wolsleben. The Mustangs averaged less than 30 points per contest last season so creating a more efficient offense will be key for Horseshoe Bend as it looks to improve upon last season’s three-win campaign. It figures to be a young group – Horseshoe Bend graduated five seniors last season and its only junior was Wolsleben.
Transitioning down from the 2A Western Idaho Conference this season is Greenleaf Friends Academy. The Grizzlies finished tied for fourth in the WIC last season with a 5-4 conference record. Senior Grace Sams returns to lead a relatively young roster – the Grizzlies had nine players on their roster last season and six were either freshmen or sophomores. Head coach Ashley Rule’s team did play three games against Long Pin foes last season, defeating Horseshoe Bend and falling twice against Tri-Valley.
A member of the Long Pin in all other sports, the Council Lumberjacks will be playing a 2A “independent” schedule in 2024-25. The school’s enrollment crept just over the threshold to remain in the 1A classification this year. Still, the school successfully petitioned to have all of its athletic teams remain in the Long Pin – except for girls' basketball. So, after winning the 1A Division 2 (now 1A) state tournament in 2023 and reaching the semifinals in 2024, head coach Paula Tucker and her team moves up to the 2A ranks this season but will not formally play a Western Idaho Conference schedule. The Lady ‘Jacks will enter the WIC district tournament but will automatically be the lowest seed in the bracket in February.
“This team will need to work hard to be competitive,” said Tucker. “But, if they believe in themselves and be persistent, they could be pretty tough by the end of the season.”
Council will need to find a player (or combination of players) to replace last year’s Long Pin MVP, Rhianna Iveson, who graduated alongside fellow departed senior Hope Zollman. This year’s squad will be built around senior wing Ava Eppich, junior guard Eliza Bingham, and sophomore guard Kassidy Iveson.