Lady Vikings full of local flavor

MOSES LAKE - After a strong start last year, the Big Bend Lady Vikings basketball team struggled down the stretch and missed the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) playoffs.

However, the Lady Vikings, and fourth year head coach Preston Wilks, will enter the new season with only two part-time starters from last season and a bevy of newcomers, many of which come from schools around the Columbia Basin.

The almost completely overturned roster could mean a whole new look at Big Bend.

"This year's team is laden with local talent from the Columbia Basin, with six local players making up our freshmen class," Wilks said. "These girls competed against each other in high school and we believe that given the fact that they knew each other and respected each others' game, this has become an important ingredient to team togetherness.  You might think that they'd still be at each others' throats, but our coaching staff has been able to help them trust and believe in each other up to this point, and this group is as a close knit squad as I've had."

They may need to be since nine freshmen dot the 11-person roster.

Moses Lake alumnus Chayla Hirz and Ashley McGowan (Challis, Idaho) are the only two returning sophomores, starting four and five games respectively last year.

"One of the most obvious areas of concerns is that we only have two sophomores on this years squad, so our depth of experience is not the greatest," Wilks said. "However, these kids love to compete and each day in practice they go after each other.  I really admire how they get after each other, diving on the floor, knocking each other over, and when practice is over, they high-five each other, put their arms around each other and they're back to being buddies."

The team lost three players who went on to play at four-year schools including 1st Team All-East Region pick Dana Bates (Westminster College), Sarah Smith (Pacific University), and Alex Canfield (Mayville State University).

Bates' toughness and tenacity will be greatly missed, but the new blend of talent have worked hard to make up for it.

"This group has been able to do get along in practice unlike prior teams, who might have been offended or upset with each other off the court after a skirmish in practice," Wilks said.  "It has been so great to see them do this.  It really gets you excited as a coach and be around that kind of focus and level of understanding from the athletes of how to compete and push each other to get better."

The freshmen class includes, Moses Lake High School Class of 2010 graduate Tiffany Morris, Dayanna and Marisol Lopez (Quincy), Mallory Lotz (Ephrata), Leslie Brown (Royal), Tiffany Martinez (Othello), Shelby Scott (Liberty Bell High School in Carlton), Ali Nielsen (Parma, Idaho), and Brin Neff (Madison, Idaho).

Morris was known for her spot shooting and good all-around play for the Chiefs while the Lopez sisters could be counted on with strong inside play and rebounding.

Brown was a do-everything performer at Royal, recording numerous double-doubles last season with the Lady Knights, while Martinez and Lotz were key inside players for their respective teams that could come up with the big play when needed.

"The team has set some great goals this year," Wilks said. "That will keep them motivated throughout the entire season.  They have set qualitative goals of what they want to play like each day.  We are constantly discussing these goals each day, trying to emulate and fashion our play to achieve and fulfill these goals. Our main goal is to never cease trying to achieve our potential."

For the time being the Lady Vikings will work to get their motion offensive system, full court press, and half-court trapping, high pressure defenses down to the point of familiarity so they can get ready for the grind of the NWAACC.

"We would like to reach the post-season this year since this would be icing on the cake for competing in the East Region, which is the toughest region in the NWAACC for women's basketball," Wilks said. "Last year two East region teams played for the NWAACC title game.  I believe Walla Walla and Yakima Valley will be competing again for the title."

Wilks hopes that out of region games in December will help his Lady Vikings gear up for the season.

"One thing that is great about competing in the toughest region is during the 1st half of the season, when we play teams from the other three regions, we have excelled in years past," Wilks said. "During each of my first three years, we have had impressive records against the other regions and have been ranked or received votes in the NWAACC polls that are released prior to region play."

Once they get there, Big Bend will hope its new look and injection of local blood could help keep any early success going into and throughout East Region play.

"As a coaching staff, one of the things we're trying to get back to this season is to return to the uptempo style of game that we played in my 1st two seasons when we were among the team leaders in points scored per game in the NWAACC," Wilks said. "We believe the key to returning to that style will begin with the amount of defensive pressure we are able to maintain throughout an entire game. The should be a fun season for local fans to come and be part of, especially given the number of local players we have on the team."

BIG BEND LADY VIKINGS

Head coach: Preston Wilks (fourth year)

Record at school: 39-43

2009-2010 overall record: 11-15

2009-2010 league record: 4-10 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC)

2009-2010 postseason: None.

Program's best finish ever: NWAACC Champs in 2001-2002

Returning starters: 2 (Ashley McGowan, Chayla Hirz).

Key Loses: Dana Bates (1st Team All-East Region), Sarah Smith, Alex Canfield.

Roster: SOPHOMORES: Chayla Hirz and Ashley McGowan; FRESHMEN: Leslie Brown, Dayanna Lopez, Marisol Lopez, Mallory Lotz, Tiffany Martinez, Tiffany Morris, Brin Neff, Ali Nielsen, and Shelby Scott.