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Roseburg High’s girls basketball team will have very little margin for error playing in the talent-rich Class 6A Southwest Conference this year.
“There won’t be an easy night in our league,” said Roseburg coach Jeff Thomas. “We’ll have to be very good each and every night against the other five teams.”
The Indians (2-7 overall) open the conference season on the road Friday night, visiting South Medford (7-2). In other SWC games, Sheldon (7-3) is at North Medford (8-2) and Grants Pass (7-2) travels to South Eugene (6-4).
Sheldon, guided by Luke Roth, is the defending conference champion and placed fourth in the 6A state tournament. The Irish have four returning starters, including 5-foot-11 senior wing Katie Steigleman and 6-0 senior post Theresa Brown. Both were first-team all-SWC selections last season.
Sheldon was picked to win the SWC in a preseason coaches’ poll, followed by North Medford, Grants Pass, South Eugene, South Medford and Roseburg. The Irish’s only notable loss to graduation was Kendra Little, the SWC player of the year and a first-team all-state pick.
North Medford coach Tim Karrick, who has two talented returnees in 5-11 senior wing Whitney Hodnett and 5-11 senior post Erica Schultz (first-team all-SWC), calls the Irish the clear favorite.
“I think it’ll be tough for anybody to beat Sheldon,” he told the Medford Mail Tribune. “For the first time in our conference, I think we have a legitimate state championship caliber team in Sheldon.”
South Eugene, Grants Pass and South Medford all had losing conference records last year, but are improved this season with four returning starters apiece.
“Sheldon will be very good,” Thomas said. “They have one of the best big girls in the league (in Brown), Steigleman can score for them and have some good, young role players who will fill in nicely.
“North Medford will also be very good. Those two (Hodnett and Schultz) are two of the better players in the conference. Grants Pass may have the best tandem of big girls in the league (in 6-1 junior post Natasha Torgerson and 6-2 senior post Gabby Randall), and they’ll be tough to deal with.”
Roseburg, whose tallest players are 5-9, is the smallest and least experienced club in the SWC.
“I feel there are some things we can do against those teams, but we’ll have to do them very well,” Thomas said. “We’re not going to change our approach ... we’ll do our best to keep the game at our style.
“We’re not a team that can run up and down the floor. We’re not going to try and open it up and outshoot anybody, because quick shots don’t favor us. The girls have gotten better at being more patient and that’s the best chance to give us success.”
Thomas says the Indians have made strides in their nine non-conference games. They’re shooting 40 percent from the field and limiting the opposition to 32 percent, and actually hold a slight edge in rebounding for the season. The coach would like to see his team cut down on its turnovers (16 a game) and improve its free-throw shooting (58 percent).
Senior post Kendra Pennington is Roseburg’s leading scorer at 9.4 points a game, followed by senior point guard Kate Wilton (8 points) and junior guard Marah Baker (5.8 points). Senior Jade Berry-Cabiao is the top rebounder with 8 a game.
The Indians face an uptempo South Medford team that has scored at least 60 points or better eight times — the high game 92 points against Eagle Point. The Panthers, who have a new coach in Tom Cole, are led by two junior guards: 5-6 Brittney Newcomb and 5-5 Sheena Barkley. Newcomb played at 5A Crater last year and Barkley is back after quitting the team last season.
• You can reach Sports Editor Tom Eggers at 957-4220 or by e-mail at teggers@newsreview.info
“There won’t be an easy night in our league,” said Roseburg coach Jeff Thomas. “We’ll have to be very good each and every night against the other five teams.”
The Indians (2-7 overall) open the conference season on the road Friday night, visiting South Medford (7-2). In other SWC games, Sheldon (7-3) is at North Medford (8-2) and Grants Pass (7-2) travels to South Eugene (6-4).
Sheldon, guided by Luke Roth, is the defending conference champion and placed fourth in the 6A state tournament. The Irish have four returning starters, including 5-foot-11 senior wing Katie Steigleman and 6-0 senior post Theresa Brown. Both were first-team all-SWC selections last season.
Sheldon was picked to win the SWC in a preseason coaches’ poll, followed by North Medford, Grants Pass, South Eugene, South Medford and Roseburg. The Irish’s only notable loss to graduation was Kendra Little, the SWC player of the year and a first-team all-state pick.
North Medford coach Tim Karrick, who has two talented returnees in 5-11 senior wing Whitney Hodnett and 5-11 senior post Erica Schultz (first-team all-SWC), calls the Irish the clear favorite.
“I think it’ll be tough for anybody to beat Sheldon,” he told the Medford Mail Tribune. “For the first time in our conference, I think we have a legitimate state championship caliber team in Sheldon.”
South Eugene, Grants Pass and South Medford all had losing conference records last year, but are improved this season with four returning starters apiece.
“Sheldon will be very good,” Thomas said. “They have one of the best big girls in the league (in Brown), Steigleman can score for them and have some good, young role players who will fill in nicely.
“North Medford will also be very good. Those two (Hodnett and Schultz) are two of the better players in the conference. Grants Pass may have the best tandem of big girls in the league (in 6-1 junior post Natasha Torgerson and 6-2 senior post Gabby Randall), and they’ll be tough to deal with.”
Roseburg, whose tallest players are 5-9, is the smallest and least experienced club in the SWC.
“I feel there are some things we can do against those teams, but we’ll have to do them very well,” Thomas said. “We’re not going to change our approach ... we’ll do our best to keep the game at our style.
“We’re not a team that can run up and down the floor. We’re not going to try and open it up and outshoot anybody, because quick shots don’t favor us. The girls have gotten better at being more patient and that’s the best chance to give us success.”
Thomas says the Indians have made strides in their nine non-conference games. They’re shooting 40 percent from the field and limiting the opposition to 32 percent, and actually hold a slight edge in rebounding for the season. The coach would like to see his team cut down on its turnovers (16 a game) and improve its free-throw shooting (58 percent).
Senior post Kendra Pennington is Roseburg’s leading scorer at 9.4 points a game, followed by senior point guard Kate Wilton (8 points) and junior guard Marah Baker (5.8 points). Senior Jade Berry-Cabiao is the top rebounder with 8 a game.
The Indians face an uptempo South Medford team that has scored at least 60 points or better eight times — the high game 92 points against Eagle Point. The Panthers, who have a new coach in Tom Cole, are led by two junior guards: 5-6 Brittney Newcomb and 5-5 Sheena Barkley. Newcomb played at 5A Crater last year and Barkley is back after quitting the team last season.
• You can reach Sports Editor Tom Eggers at 957-4220 or by e-mail at teggers@newsreview.info
