Lady Vikings prepare for season opener
FRONT (L-R): Cristina Marlatt, Aubrie Vale, Asst. Coach Andrew Peña, Head Coach Preston Wilks, Asst. Coach Charlene Rios, McKell Marlor, Julie Bonner. BACK (L-R): Sam Orme, Shanelle Hemmert, Tasha Huff, Jessica Sorensen, Riley Jemmett, Elizabeth Larrew.
MOSES LAKE - The Big Bend Community College (BBCC) Lady Vikings are back on the hardwood Saturday hosting Northwest Indian College in a non-league game at DeVries Activity Center.
The Lady Vikings will look to rebound from barely missing the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) playoffs last season. The team finished fifth in the East region with a record of 6-8 and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the Joward NWAACC Power Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll.
Head coach Preston Wilks, entering his seventh season, thinks this year's squad will have great team chemistry and mesh well on the court.
"Our returning sophomores have shown great leadership and have mentored the freshmen group very well and are preparing them for the demanding rigors of the season," he said. "Our freshmen come in with a knack for playing hard and competing."
However, an area of concern for the Lady Vikings this season will be their ability to rebound. BBCC lost the leading rebounding in the NWAACC East region, Sierra Zollinger. Zollinger was able to pull down an average of 11.2 rebounds per game while adding 7.3 points. The team will try and make up for the lack of height with their length and athleticism.
"We have some ladies with great length in their arms, and they can really defend and rebound extremely well," Wilks said.
With the departure of leading scorer Alli Winters, Wilks will look for improvement from sophomores Jessica Sorensen, Shanelle Hemmert, McKell Marlor and Cristina Marlatt.
Sorensen, a forward from Downey, ID., was the second leading scorer on last year's team averaging just under nine points per game.
"Jessica and Cristina started most of the games last year as freshmen, so they are battle-tested," Wilks said. "Shanelle and McKell have worked hard in the off-season at getting quicker with their shots and I feel like they are going to really help us be one of the better three-point shooting teams in the NWAACC."
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 p.m. BBCC begins league play Jan. 8 against Yakima Valley.
"I am excited to see this season unfold," Wilks said. "At times we show great potential in practice and in our scrimmage games so far."