Royal girls have improved, basketball coach says

ROYAL CITY - He's not predicting how much, but Royal girls basketball coach Phil Daubel says his team will be improved this year.

"We've come a long way since I took over last year," Daubel said. "Fundamentally we're catching up with the league. We'll compete better. We're shooting for the top 4 (in the South Central 1A Conference East) so we can go to districts."

The new team will be built around five veterans, including three starters. There will be some fair height and stellar floor play.

The key player will be 5-6 senior point guard Stefhany Guadarrama, who is slated to be a captain. She scored 10 points per game last year.

"She's tough. She'll go to the floor to get the ball," Daubel said. "She rarely comes out of the game."

Another key player will be 5-7 senior Lindsey Christensen. She can play anywhere on the floor, including around the basket.

"She was our leading rebounder last year," Daubel said.

Height will be provided by 5-10 sophomore Kayla Smith and 5-8 senior Moriah Christensen. Smith "works hard" and has a soft touch around the basket.

Christensen spent the summer preparing for this season. She went to the weight room to toughen up for the battles under the hoop.

"She came in and shot a lot during the off-season," Daubel said.

A fifth key player is 5-5 senior Marissa Squeochs. A veteran of Yakama Nation youth programs, she has the most basketball experience on the team.

"She's a girl who can play a lot of positions," Daubel said.

Additional height will be provided by 5-10 sophomore Brittney Jo Hebdon. She alternated between the varsity and junior varsity last year and took the game seriously in the off-season.

"She was probably our biggest surprise at team camp this summer," Daubel said. "Her post moves are coming around,"

One new girl Daubel is excited about is 5-5 freshman Flor Araujo. Daubel enjoyed her play this fall on the Royal soccer team. So far on the court, she's proving to be the most fundamentally sound member of the team.

Three more girls who Daubel believes can make major contributions are 5-6 junior Samantha Cera and sophomores Nicole Schwendiman and Seila Jenks.

Cera played half a season last year because of injury. Schwendiman and Jenks are newcomers to the varsity.

Royal will open the season with three tough non-league opponents. First it will be Moses Lake Christian at Royal on Dec. 3. The Knights will go to Granger on Dec. 8 and host Zillah on Dec. 9.