Players to Watch:
Eva Lundgren, Clearwater Valley
Seasha Reuben, Clearwater Valley
Kelsee Hunt, Kamiah
Emma Krogh, Kamiah
Hali Anderson, Kendrick
Lois Oatman, Lapwai
Junee Picard, Lapwai
Skylin Picard, Lapwai
Elena Spillman, Logos
Naomi Taylor, Logos
Kathryn Burnette, Potlatch
Cadence Carlson, Potlatch
Sage Elven, Prairie
Kylie Schumacher, Prairie
Lexi Schumacher, Prairie
Tessa Stoner, Troy
Written by: Will Hoenike
Lapwai and Prairie, Prairie and Lapwai. Seems like a tale as old as time (with apologies to Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”), these two long-time Whitepine rivals jockeying for position atop the girls’ basketball standings each winter.
Last season, it was Lapwai (20-6, 11-1 Whitepine) coming out on top. It's one league loss? That would be against Prairie (19-8, 10-2 Whitepine), who toppled the Wildcats by eight points on January 18 in Lapwai.
The two programs have combined for nine state titles (Lapwai seven, Prairie two) since the 1A classification was split into two divisions for the 2008-09 season. The rest of the Whitepine, in what is now called the 2A (formerly 1A Division 1) classification has won one – Clearwater Valley in 2010.
So it should probably come as no surprise that most eyes are on those two teams once again duking it out for the top spot in the Whitepine in 2024-25.
Lapwai’s program is one of the gold standards in girls’ basketball, regardless of size. As mentioned above, Lapwai is winners of seven state titles in the past fifteen years and has competed for others (the team fell to Grace, 47-40, in the 2023-24 state championship game).
Head coach Josh Leighton, Jr., once again has a talented group that should once again compete at a high level this season. Led by Skylin and Junee Picard, a pair of juniors, the Wildcats got off to a good start by winning its season opener in late November over Orofino. Sophomore Lois Oatman is also a key piece of the Wildcat attack.
Prairie, coached by Lori Mader, has almost been overshadowed in the 1A Division 1 (now 2A) classification because the Pirates share a league with Lapwai. But the Pirates haven’t won fewer than 18 games in a season since the 2012-13 season, a span of 11 straight years that includes seven seasons of 20 wins or more. Mader’s team has a good chance to extend that streak this season, led by Lexi and Kylee Schumacher. Another standout for the Pirates is junior Sage Elven, a second-team All-Whitepine player from a year ago who put up 28 points and 11 rebounds in a season-opening win over Orofino in November.
One of the league’s top players outside of Cottonwood and Lapwai is Kamiah’s Emma Krogh. She played well enough to earn first-team All-Whitepine honors for the Kubs as a sophomore. First-year head coach Shelby Cloninger has Krogh back for her junior season leading a team that provided a strong challenge to Prairie late in the season last year, losing twice to the powerful Pirates in the season’s final week by a total of seven points.
Head coach Guy Wells and his staff are re-tooling at Troy this season. The Trojans won 12 games last season, finishing in fourth place in the tough Whitepine. That’s the good news. Now the bad news – the Trojans lost four seniors to graduation who earned All-Whitepine honors last season. So the team has some roles to fill. More good news is that the team returns talented sophomore Tessa Stoner, the only freshman in the entire Whitepine to earn all-league honors in 2023-24.
One of the teams looking to make a move up in the standings this season is Logos. The Knights won five games last season and head coach Gabriel Rench returns a talented twosome in junior guard Naomi Taylor and junior forward Elena Spillman. The pair combined to score 30 points for the Knights in a November win over Highland of Craigmont as the team opened its season with back-to-back wins.
“These girls have now been with me for three years, and their IQ of the game is getting there. They work hard and we have very supportive chemistry,” said Rench. “Our speed is our greatest strength, and I hope that translates into many fast break points.”
Another team hoping to move on up is the Potlatch Loggers under first-year head coach Kevin Scheffler. Though all-league honoree Jaylee Frey has graduated, a pair of newcomers have come out to bolster the roster. Senior Kathryn Burnette, a volleyball standout, led the team in scoring in its season-opening game against 1A foe Deary. The second-leading scorer? Freshman Cadence Carlson, another Logger volleyball standout.
The Clearwater Valley Rams opened the season with back-to-back wins under second-year head coach Sky Wilson. That’s notable because the rebuilding Rams went winless last season. Behind seniors Eva Lundgren and Taya Pfeffercorn, Clearwater Valley allowed a total of 43 points in its two season-opening wins, showing growth and development as the team gathers positive momentum heading into Whitepine play.
The new kid on the block is Kendrick. The Tigers are new to the 2A classification but – lest anyone forget – they won the 1A state championship by stifling Dietrich in the title tilt last February. First-year head coach Blair Moore has to replace six departed seniors from that team, which leaves an obvious key to success for Kendrick.
“Everyone buying into our team culture. Trust in each other and play with confidence,” Moore said. “I am excited to see who will step up into important roles and lead the team throughout the season.”
Junior guard Hali Anderson earned first-team All-Whitepine honors at the 1A Division 2 (now 1A) level last season so she figures to continue in a vital role for the Tigers. True to form, Anderson averaged over 23 points in the team’s first two games while also collecting five rebounds per game. Senior Ashna Casto has chipped in over ten points per game, on average, in the early going for Kendrick.