3A Girls 2006 Tournament: Team Capsules and Predictions

Lindbergh

 LOCATION:Renton

 NICKNAME: Lady Eagles

 LEAGUE: Seamount King

 COACH: Jeff Stuart (12th season)

 RECORD: 21-4

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Asya Love / 5-7 / Sr. / 12.2
G / Catherine Gagnier / 5-8 / Sr. / 6.5
C / Marcisa McMillan / 6-1 / Fr. / 13.9
F / Cenetra McMillan / 5-11 / Sr. / 7.6
F / Kayla Huddleston / 5-9 / Jr. / 10.4

SCOUTING REPORT: The McMillan sisters join Huddleston to form an imposing frontcourt, all three capable of collecting double-digit rebounds. Marscisa McMillan boasts remarkably well-developed post skills for a freshman and is a legitimate shot blocker at the defensive end. Love's shooting touch prevents opponents from clogging the paint and can punish guards for doubling down.

FORECAST: The Lady Eagles drew a double whammy on the first day of state competition, facing a 9 a.m. start and a top-ranked Sealth team many consider the most talented in state history. Lindbergh's frontcourt could wilt before the Seahawks' forest of Division I-bound trees.

Chief Sealth

 LOCATION:Seattle

 NICKNAME: Seahawks

 LEAGUE: Metro

 COACH: Ray Willis (fourth season)

 RECORD: 25-0

 STATE TITLES: 2005

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Nia Jackson / 5-6 / Jr. / 13.7
G / Colleen Betteridge / 5-8 / Sr. / 10.0
C / ReginaRogers / 6-3 / Jr. / 15.6
F / Christina Nzekwe / 6-4 / Jr. / 10.3
F / Valerie Cook / 5-9 / Sr. / 6.0

SCOUTING REPORT: Rogers and Nzekwe are without question the most dominant pair of post players in the state, both capable of erupting for 20 points and 15 rebounds. Jackson and Betteridge provide an exquisite backcourt combination of quickness, sharpshooting and basketball savvy. With four Division-I blue chips, the Seahawks can play at any pace and win.

FORECAST: As if the defending state champions needed a break, they got one, landing on the opposite side of the bracket from the tournament's top three challengers. The Seahawks know better than to relax, however, especially after their district title scare in which they trailed Issaquah by as many as 19 points.

Burlington-Edison

 LOCATION:Burlington

 NICKNAME: Tigers

 LEAGUE: Northwest

 COACH: Mike Buckholz (second season)

 RECORD: 19-5

 STATE TITLES: None

STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Keri Arendse / 5-6 / So. / 12.0
G / Caitlin Dottich / 5-6 / Jr. / 5.0
G / Ada Cohen / 5-6 / Sr. / 6.0
C / Corinna Sharick / 6-0 / Sr. / 11.0
F / Brianna Thomas / 5-10 / Jr. / 2.0

SCOUTING REPORT: Arendse and Sharick have picked up the mantle of last year's state-qualifying team despite the departure of four starters to graduation. Both selected for first-team All-Northwest honors, the Tigers' two leading scorers contribute in a wealth of other ways as well. Arendse averages 4 rebounds and 3 assists a game while Sharick pulls down 7 boards per outing.

FORECAST: All five of Burlington-Edison's losses came against state tournament teams -- an impressive statistic, unless you're hoping to win at the state tournament. The Tigers have enough depth to keep pace with Kennedy's run-and-gun style but may lack firepower.

Kennedy

 LOCATION: Burien

 NICKNAME: Lancers

 LEAGUE: Seamount King

 COACH: Don Hoffman (12th season)

 RECORD: 19-4

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Katie Kirsch / 5-6 / Sr. / 8.9
G / Daidra Brown / 5-5 / Fr. / 10.6
G / Mikayla Harshman / 5-7 / Jr. / 7.1
F / C'Era Walkingchild / 5-11 / Jr. / 12.9
F / Demetria Riggins / 5-9 / So. / 9.4

SCOUTING REPORT: Walkingchild's honor in being named co-MVP of the Seamount League's King Division was rooted in more than scoring as she piled up 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game. The Lancers are young but fearless from the outside. Brown plays nothing like a freshman as her 4 steals per game attest.

FORECAST: Kennedy has made five consecutive trips to the state tournament but has failed to place the past three times. A meeting with Burlington-Edison provides an opportunity to end the streak of first-round losses, though a potential quarterfinal matchup with Sealth does not bode well.

Seattle Prep

 LOCATION:Seattle

 NICKNAME: Panthers

 LEAGUE: Metro

 COACH: Michelle Hall (eighth season)

 RECORD: 15-13

 STATE TITLES: 2002

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Daveonna Munson / 5-4 / So. / 5.5
G / Angi Ramos / 5-4 / Sr. / 5.1
G / Jasmine Williams / 5-10 / Jr. / 13.9
F / Lindsey Gummersall / 5-10 / So. / 4.6
F / Candace Chambers / 6-1 / So. / 7.3

SCOUTING REPORT: Williams provides the leadership and the motor for a young squad that relies more on grit and determination than offensive fluidity. The Panthers rebound well as a team and have reasonable scoring on the block and on the perimeter. Chambers is capable of producing double-double numbers and may need to if Prep hopes to escape the first round.

FORECAST: Despite the appearance of another down year for the Metro powerhouse, the Panthers pushed their way back into the state tournament for the first time since 2003. Coach Hall's mandate: convince her wide-eyed group the upset train can keep rumbling.

Anacortes

 LOCATION: Anacortes

 NICKNAME: Seahawks

 LEAGUE: Northwest

 COACH: Ken Welk (15th season)

 RECORD: 20-3

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Brittany Janz / 5-6 / So. / 13.6
G / Alyssa Averill / 5-5 / So. / 7.7
G / Kelly Kilburn / 5-11 / Sr. / 10.1
W / Alyssa Welk / 5-5 / Jr. / 5.6
P / Marissa Bower / 6-1 / Sr. / 12.8

SCOUTING REPORT: Bower, a consistent standout for the Seahawks over recent seasons, has finally found a supporting cast with the return of Kilburn from her year studying abroad and the development of some younger talent. Janz provides consistent perimeter offense, and sophomore post Madison Mackenzie comes off the bench to deliver interior scoring and rebounding help.

FORECAST: The Seahawks' sparkling record has earned them a top-10 ranking much of the season, but cross-league comparisons are difficult -- especially when Metro League teams are involved. Anacortes can prove its legitimacy with a first-round drubbing of Seattle Prep.

Tumwater

 LOCATION: Tumwater

 NICKNAME: Lady T-Birds

 LEAGUE: Pac-9

 COACH: Nick Greenwell (third season)

 RECORD: 16-7

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Ashley Andrews / 5-7 / So. / 12.0
G / Tawana Brown / 5-7 / Sr. / 7.0
C / Cristin Richards / 6-1 / So. / 9.0
F / Lacey White / 5-8 / Sr. / 7.0
F / Morgan Schwegler / 6-0 / So. / 9.0

SCOUTING REPORT: Andrews regularly fills the stat sheet in multiple categories, collecting 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals per game to go along with her 12 points. Richards and Schwegler are solid on the glass and provide interior scoring.

FORECAST: The Lady T-Birds faced nine opponents ranked in the top 10 this season, collecting several quality victories. The game with Clarkston could prove among the tightest first-day contests.

Clarkston

 LOCATION: Clarkston

 NICKNAME: Bantams

 LEAGUE: Greater Spokane

 COACH: Len Kelly (18th season)

 RECORD: 13-10

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Alicia Jelinek / 5-8 / Sr. / 10.0
G / Stephanie Ogden / 5-4 / Sr. / 4.0
C / Kayla McCann / 5-9 / Sr. / 5.0
F / Misty Atkinson / 5-11 / Jr. / 18.0
F / Patsy Dodgen-Auer / 5-7 / Sr. / 11.0

SCOUTING REPORT: Atkinson is a prolific scorer and double-digit rebounder. She, Jelinek and Dodgen-Auer started for the Bantams in 2004 when they motored through the state tournament's first two rounds before falling by a single point to RainierBeach.

FORECAST: Clarkston proved its status as an upstart underdog in knocking off heavily favored WestValley en route to a tournament berth. Tumwater will bring pressure in an effort to disrupt the Bantams' half-court style, but Jelinek has enough experience to handle it.

Black Hills

 LOCATION:Olympia

 NICKNAME: Wolves

 LEAGUE: Pac-9

 COACH: Paul Dretsch (first season)

 RECORD: 18-6

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Whitney Scott / 5-6 / Sr. / 12.7
G / Diana Stone / 5-6 / Jr. / 2.0
P / Kelsey Haupert / 5-7 / Sr. / 9.0
P / Kaitlin Nielsen / 5-8 / Jr. / 8.7
W / Erin Kelly / 5-10 / Sr. / 7.6

SCOUTING REPORT:Black Hills lives and dies with its full-court pressure defense. The Wolves bench is young but serviceable, and coach Dretsch is unafraid to go 10 deep to keep fresh players on the floor. Scott has proven her ability to hit big shots in big games and knows how to get her teammates involved as well. Haupert and Nielsen provide adequate rebounding despite being undersized.

FORECAST: The Wolves have a history of knocking off hot teams, shocking an undefeated Meadowdale squad in the 2003 quarterfinals. Issaquah enters the tournament scorching, setting up another potential spoiler role. But Black Hills' pressure may have trouble bothering the Eagles' guard-heavy lineup.

Issaquah

 LOCATION: Issaquah

 NICKNAME: Eagles

 LEAGUE: KingCo

 COACH: Kathy Gibson (eighth season)

 RECORD: 20-5

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Melissa Richardson / 5-8 / Sr. / 17.0
G / Alyssa Shoji / 5-6 / So. / 9.6
G / Aubrey Jensen / 5-6 / Jr. / 10.0
G / Ellen Vertatschitsch / 5-9 / Sr. / 5.0
F / Alexa Smith / 5-11 / Fr. / 4.5

SCOUTING REPORT:Richardson is among the most explosive game-changers in the state, capable of simultaneously catching fire at both ends of the floor and turning steals into 3-point buckets. Jensen and Shoji are competent shooters as well, and Amanda Harms comes off the bench as a fourth threat from outside. The Eagles have no interior presence and don't pretend otherwise, starting four guards.

FORECAST: Coming off a near upset of top-ranked Chief Sealth in the Sea-King District title game, the Eagles could either soar with new-found confidence or crash under the residual emotional agony of having blown a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead. A tough lower bracket will test them.

Holy Names

 LOCATION:Seattle

 NICKNAME: Cougars

 LEAGUE: Metro

 COACH: Lee Adams (fourth season)

 RECORD: 19-8

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Jenna Dumpit / 5-3 / Jr. / 5.3
G / Brianna Reichelt / 5-8 / Jr. / 10.8
C / Anna Martin / 6-0 / Jr. / 10.4
F / Devin Brooks / 5-6 / Jr. / 11.6
F / Lindsay Poole / 5-7 / Sr. / 3.7

SCOUTING REPORT: With full-court, unceasing pressure, the Cougars can rattle even the best of teams -- Chief Sealth included. Brooks is a gifted athlete who plays like she's trying to make the team every game. Reichelt can pop off half a dozen 3-pointers before she realizes she's hot. Junior guard Carolyn Moore is usually good for some long-range shooting and in-your-face defense off the bench.

FORECAST: Coming off a fifth-place finish in last year's tournament, Holy Names will have trouble sneaking up on anyone despite its less-than-golden record. The Cougars are a tournament-tested team, playing as though they believe every game is winnable. A first-round victory over powerful Hanford may not even qualify as an upset.

Hanford

 LOCATION:Richland

 NICKNAME: Falcons

 LEAGUE: Mid-Valley

 COACH: Evan Woodward (fifth season)

 RECORD: 20-4

 STATE TITLES: 1985

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Kayla Akers / 5-6 / Sr. / 7.3
G / Nikki DePeel / 5-6 / Sr. / 12.2
C / Brittany Quick / 6-1 / So. / 7.1
F / De'Chauna Skinner / 5-8 / Sr. / 6.3
F / Shana Fredrickson / 5-10 / Jr. / 3.9

SCOUTING REPORT: A solid senior cadre of guards provide strong backcourt leadership. DePeel, a first team All-Mid-Valley selection, is the offensive focal point, but coach Woodward calls on every player to contribute. Skinner is an exceptional rebounder for her height, averaging more than 7 per game to help make up for the Falcons' lack of size. Quick remains raw in the post but can be a force on the glass.

FORECAST:Hanford drew a giant killer in its first-round matchup with Holy Names. The Falcons' experience and depth at the guard position will help against the Cougars' relentless on-the-ball pressure, but the Mid-Valley League doesn't feature many athletes the likes of Holy Names guard Devin Brooks.

Sehome

 LOCATION:Bellingham

 NICKNAME: Mariners

 LEAGUE: Northwest

 COACH: Colin Cushman (seventh season)

 RECORD: 17-6

 STATE TITLES: 1983

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Megan Busch / 5-7 / Sr. / 19.0
G / Lauren Gustafson / 5-7 / So. / 7.0
P / Brittany Todhunter / 6-0 / So. / 12.0
W / Jessica Tinned / 6-1 / Jr. / 11.0
W / Marie Smith / 5-9 / Jr. / 5.0

SCOUTING REPORT: Tinned, who transferred to Sehome after winning a state title with Garfield last year, provides an added dose of athleticism and experience to a team seemingly on the brink of recapturing its dominance from the 1980s and early 1990s. The Mariners love to jump passing lanes and have a wealth of scorers itching to finish in transition.

FORECAST: Busch has gone to state twice before in 2003 and 2004 only to lose in the opening round, where Sehome will have its hands full once again with White River. If the Mariners can push the game's tempo to the order of frenetic, however, an upset is not entirely unforeseeable.

White River

 LOCATION: Buckley

 NICKNAME: Lady Hornets

 LEAGUE: Seamount Pierce

 COACH: Chris Gibson (ninth season)

 RECORD: 20-5

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Jennifer Sorensen / 5-4 / Sr. / 11.0
G / Michelle Brons / 5-6 / Sr. / 3.9
C / Kelly Brons / 5-10 / Jr. / 11.5
F / Kaysie Kiel / 5-9 / Sr. / 14.5
F / Megan Borjesson / 5-8 / Sr. / 5.0

SCOUTING REPORT: Named Most Valuable Player in the Seamount League's Pierce Division, Kiel can take control of any game. An exceptional rebounder for her size with more than 8 per game, she is also a prolific scorer. Michelle Brons, the oldest of three sisters on the team, is a solid ball-handler and distributes well to the secondary scorers.

FORECAST: No stranger to the state tournament, White River makes its seventh appearance in the past eight years. The Lady Hornets have a sticky first-round game against an athletic Sehome team, and the challenge escalates from there. River Ridge, Hanford and Issaquah loom in their half of the bracket.

Ellensburg

 LOCATION: Ellensburg

 NICKNAME: Bulldogs

 LEAGUE: Mid-Valley

 COACH: Craig Faire (15th season)

 RECORD: 18-8

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Jackie Nethery / 5-9 / Sr. / 4.2
G / Rebecca Sharon / 5-7 / Jr. / 10.4
G / Mackenzie Pratt / 5-8 / Jr. / 4.3
P / Brittany Chandler / 6-0 / Sr. / 8.2
P / Kayla Standish / 6-3 / So. / 22.6

SCOUTING REPORT: Standish averaged a double-double, collecting 10.7 rebounds per game to go along with her 22.6 points. She shot 53 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line. She also came away with 2 steals per game and made almost 70 percent of her foul shots. Sharon and Chandler are solid complimentary players, but the Bulldogs lack a true point guard.

FORECAST: With a player like Standish anything seems possible, but Ellensburg's backcourt weakness will cause difficulties against River Ridge, last year's state runner-up. This may not be their year, but the Bulldogs remain on the rise with their fourth consecutive state appearance.

River Ridge

 LOCATION: Lacy

 NICKNAME: Lady Hawks

 LEAGUE: Pac-9

 COACH: Kevin Estes (first season)

 RECORD: 22-2

 STATE TITLES: None

 STARTING LINEUP:

P / Names / Ht / Yr / Ppg
G / Keisha McDonald / 5-6 / So. / 8.5
G / Amanda Anderson / 5-5 / Sr. / 1.8
P / Gabby Wade / 5-9 / Sr. / 12.5
W / Courtney Blume / 5-10 / Jr. / 10.1
W / Sophie Russell / 5-10 / So. / 15.8

SCOUTING REPORT: The Lady Hawks have spent much of the season regrouping after the loss of star forward Chelsey White to a knee injury. Wade remains the offensive focal point, though every player in the starting five has game enough to score in double digits. River Ridge plays with high energy and has depth off the bench.

FORECAST: Last year's state title runner-up returned its top seven pieces this season. Even with the loss of White, the Lady Hawks have proven they belong among the bracket favorites again. In a tournament in which experience typically reigns supreme, River Ridge should move easily through the opening rounds.

PREDICTIONS

UPSET SPECIAL:Hanford comes to Tacoma with its first regional title and an 11-game winning streak. The Falcons open against Holy Names, a team that battled consistency all season but appears to be peaking. Watch out for Holy Names junior Devin Brooks, one of the top athletes in the tournament.

WATCH OUT FOR: Issaquah. The only team to put Sealth on the ropes this season looks to build off the confidence gained from playing at a high level against the Seahawks. Coach Kathy Gibson has the Eagles playing tough defense on a consistent basis, which should get them all the way to the 3A finals.

THE CHAMP: While Sealth looked unbeatable most of the season, falling behind Issaquah by 19 during the regional finals made it appear mortal. Now that Sealth remembers what it's like to play a full four quarters, look for the Metro champs to dominate the tournament and win it all against Issaquah on Saturday.

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