5A SIC girls basketball preview: The top players, teams in Idaho’s toughest league
As home to the state champion girls basketball team five of the past six years, the 5A Southern Idaho Conference is a challenge to fight through anytime.
Now Treasure Valley teams must contend with a global coronavirus pandemic, differing approaches to it and the threat that public health officials might have to shut it all down.
The season got off to a rocky start. The league first issued a two-week delay. Then the Boise and Nampa school districts sidelined their teams as rising coronavirus case counts forced their schools to conduct all classes online.
Both districts have targeted a possible return later in December (Dec. 16 for Nampa, Dec. 22 for Boise). That makes predictions even more difficult this year. But we surveyed the 5A SIC’s coaches to find out which teams are the ones to beat and the top players to watch.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Trinity Slocum, Mountain View
The 5-7 senior guard and Hawaii signee puts defenses on their heels as soon as she steps onto the floor. Her court vision, basketball IQ and competitive fire make her a threat to score at any moment or find a teammate open for a layup.
She earned first-team All-Idaho honors last year after leading the Mavericks to a state title, averagin 14.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.9 steals a game.
Naya Ojukwu, Mountain View
The 6-1 junior forward already made the All-Idaho first team as a freshman and sophomore, making her one of the most decorated players in recent memory.
Her athleticism, soft hands and raw strength make her a double-double threat nightly. And she’s equally dangerous on defense, altering shots and keeping opponents out of the paint.
She racked up 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals a game for the state champs last year.
Sophie Glancey, Timberline
Good luck grabbing a rebound with the 6-2 junior anywhere in the picture. Her strength makes her a steel trap once she gets her hands on the ball. And her never-ending motor ensures she gets to balls few else can.
She made the All-Idaho second team as a sophomore, averaging 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. But with the graduation of Emma Ellinghouse, she’ll likely take on a larger role.
Jaleesa Lawrence, Meridian
Her size (5-10) gives the senior guard a leg up. But it’s her savvy, athleticism and ball-handling skills that make her a matchup nightmare, capable of dominating opponents in the paint, on the perimeter or in transition.
She led the Warriors in points (15.1), rebounds (8.1) and assists (2.3) a year ago to earn first-team all-conference honors. She figures to do the same again.
Allison Ross, Boise
A deadly shooter who is unflappable under pressure, the senior remains one of the state’s top point guards. She battled concussion issues last year and missed 13 games, but still averaged 9.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting 37% behind the arc to make the all-conference second team.
She has signed with NCAA Division II Hawaii Pacific.
Annie Stinar, Centennial
Wyoming and San Jose State have extended scholarship offers to the junior point guard. She racked up 14.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals a year ago while running the Patriots’ entire offense. Those numbers should only go up with more experience.
THE FAVORITE
MOUNTAIN VIEW MAVERICKS
Last season: 24-2, 17-2 5A SIC
Coach: Connie Skogrand, 18th season
Returning starters: Trinity Slocum, sr., G; Naya Ojukwu, jr., F; Nia Williams, sr., G
The reigning conference, district and state champs return loaded for another hardware haul. Slocum and Ojukwu give the Mavericks two of the state’s top players to build around. And Williams (6.1 ppg, 2.6 assists) will pair with Slocum to give the Mavs another backcourt that can run opponents out of the gym.
But Mountain View lost seven players to graduation, including four of its top five rebounders. Ojukwu can carry some of that load herself. But relying on her to do it all could prove dangerous.
THE CONTENDERS
TIMBERLINE WOLVES
Last season: 23-4, 16-3 5A SIC
Coach: Andy Jones, third season
Returning starters: Lauren McCall, so., G; Sophie Glancey, jr., P
The defending state runner-up lost two Division I players to graduation in Ava Ranson (Montana State) and Emma Ellinghouse (Santa Clara). But don’t expect the Wolves to fall back into the pack.
Glancey poses a double-double threat in the paint. But with a deep and loaded guard lineup led by McCall (4.7 ppg, 3.2 assists), Jones said to expect Timberline to get up and down the floor and try to wear teams out with pressure.
BOISE BRAVE
Last season: 17-9, 12-6 5A SIC
Coach: Kim Brydges, 16th season
Returning starters: Allison Ross, sr., PG; Ava Oakland, jr., G; Elle Dingel, sr., G/F
The Peyton McFarland era is over. The four-year starter and four-star recruit, and 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year and Gatorade all-class player of the year, is now a freshman at Utah, leaving the Brave to rebuild.
That’s freeing in a way, allowing Boise to build a more balanced lineup that doesn’t rely solely on McFarland. The Brave have plenty of varsity experience after injuries ravaged the starting lineup a year. But Brydges said many of those players will need to find new roles in a new offense.
MERIDIAN WARRIORS
Last season: 16-9, 13-5 5A SIC
Coach: Stu Sells, second season
Returning starters: Jaleesa Lawrence, sr., G
An up-and-down season last year saw the Warriors beat eventual state champ Mountain View, but they failed to make the state tournament for the sixth time in seven years.
Lawrence gives Meridian one of the top players in the league. But she’ll have lots of new faces around her as the only returning starter. Sells said he has a smart group full of interchangeable parts. The Warriors will have to adjust to the varsity level quickly to make it back to the Idaho Center.
THE DARK HORSES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRIZZLIES
Last season: 16-11, 11-7 5A SIC
Coach: BJ Humphreys, second season
Returning starters: Chloe Wright, sr., F; Marli Reed, jr., G
The Grizzlies fell three points shy of a state tournament trophy last year, and they have their eyes on another late-season run. A balanced unit lost its top scorer and rebounder to graduation. But no one dominated the stat sheet a year ago, making those losses bearable.
Reed (5.5 ppg) returns as the top scoring option and a dangerous 3-point shooter. She’ll have plenty of other guards around her who can push the pace and shoot from outside. If Rocky Mountain can hold its own on the glass, it remains a dangerous team.
EAGLE MUSTANGS
Last season: 17-11, 10-8 5A SIC
Coach: Todd Corman, first season
Returning starters: Alex Stokoe, sr., W; Sydney Beck, jr., F
Corman takes over the program from Cody Pickett, who led the Mustangs to six state tournament appearances in seven years and its first title. Pickett now leads Eagle’s boys basketball program.
The new coach inherits a program used to winning. But the roster is short on varsity experience. Stokoe (4.5 ppg, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists) and Beck (3.0 ppg, 4.1 rebounds) give the Mustangs two steady hands inside the paint. The rest of the roster will have to prove itself under fire.
THE UNDERDOGS
BORAH LIONS
Last season: 6-18, 4-14 5A SIC
Coach: Whitney Kenyon, third season
Returning starters: Jayden McNeal, jr., G; Maggie Sawyer, jr., G; Maddie Montoya, jr., G; Abby Rowedder, jr., G; Kelli Kessel, jr., G
A sophomore-led lineup allowed the Lions to keep their head above water last year. Now Borah gets to reap the reward of all that returning experience.
Kenyon warns that her juniors are all still young. And the lineup will get even younger with the addition of freshman point guard Sydnie Rodriguez. But the Lions have plenty of reasons to believe they can start climbing the conference ladder again.
CENTENNIAL PATRIOTS
Last season: 4-20, 3-15 5A SIC
Coach: Candace Thornton, fifth season
Returning starters: Annie Stinar, jr., PG; Julia Velasquez, jr., G
Stinar has college recruiters sniffing around the Patriots. But any chance of snapping a three-year state tournament drought starts with shoring up a defense that has surrendered the most points in the league two years in a row. The Patriots gave up 58.6 per game last year — the most by 9.9 points.
Thornton said she has more height to work with this year, which will help battle the league’s bluebloods. And an experienced backcourt can help smooth over any growing pains.
KUNA KAVEMEN
Last season: 17-8, 10-6 4A SIC
Coach: Dennis Jordan, third season
Returning starters: Gracee Gustin, sr., G; Darbi Avery, sr., F; Cadence Mann, jr., G
The Kavemen return to the 5A ranks, where they went 23-25 in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and made the state tournament once. So the higher level is nothing new. But Kuna will make the jump without two of its top players from a year ago — Miaja Mills, a second-team 4A All-Idaho forward, and Lexi Haws, who will graduate and enroll early to play soccer at Boise State.
Jordan said Kuna will morph from a ball-control team into one that will get out and run. That will cover for its lack of size in a league that fields plenty of it. It also takes advantage of a bevy of athletic shooters.
SKYVIEW HAWKS
Last season: 6-16, 3-15 5A SIC
Coach: Kacy Bonds, first season
Returning starters: Olivia Taylor, sr., G; Jayden Glaze, jr., G/W; Breanna Cahoon, jr., F/C
Bonds takes over the program from Cindy Pasta, who retired after founding the program and spending 23 years on the sideline.
The Hawks have struggled since moving to 5A. But they finally found the win column in the SIC last year, and they return plenty of experience to keep building off that momentum, including three starters and eight rotational players.
Size remains an issue, with no one taller than 6 feet. Bonds said Skyview will have to get creative to contain the league’s bigger teams.
CAPITAL EAGLES
Last season: 4-18, 2-16 5A SIC
Coach: Ron Marthe, third season
Returning starters: Allie Laufenburger, jr., SG; Alexie Johnson, jr., G; Charly Weber, sr., W; Gracie Strickland, jr., P; Saioa Sarria, so., P
A youth movement that started last season should start paying dividends with all five starters back, including the Eagles’ top scorer (Laufenburger) and rebounder (Strickland). Marthe said his team has matured immensely.
But any return to prominence starts with rebuilding an offense that scored just 27.7 points per game last year, Capital’s second straight year with the 5A SIC’s lowest-scoring offense. Turnovers plagued the Eagles the past two years as well. But a transfer point guard (Keeli Branin) should help shore up some of those issues, Marthe said.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 3:08 PM.
