5A SIC girls basketball preview: The top players, teams in the state’s toughest league
The road to a 5A girls basketball tournament runs through the Treasure Valley. And that’s not just because the Idaho Center in Nampa hosts the state tournament every year.
The Southern Idaho Conference proves itself as the state’s toughest league year after year. A Boise-area team has won the state title six of the past seven years, and Mountain View stands as the two-time defending champion.
With a host of Division I recruits and loads of returning talent, this year figures to be no different. So we sized up the top teams and players for this winter in the Treasure Valley.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Naya Ojukwu, Mountain View
The reigning 5A All-Idaho and Gatorade player of the year does it all, averaging 24.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.1 steals to lead the Mavericks to a state title a year ago. She even rewrote the 5A state tournament record books with 29 points per game at the Idaho Center.
She’s signed to play both basketball and volleyball at Utah.
Audrey Taylor, Timberline
The Northern Arizona signee and reigning first-team all-conference pick can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. She’s dangerous from long range, can slice through defenses and knows how to make the extra pass, evidenced by her averages of 16.2 points and 2.6 assists last year.
Sophie Glancey, Timberline
The 6-2 forward will join Taylor at Northern Arizona next season, a blessing for area coaches tired of trying to find ways to slow the 6-2 senior forward. She dominates the paint and can run the floor with anyone, allowing her to average 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds last year.
Annie Stinar, Centennial
The 5-8 guard and Wyoming signee does it all for the Patriots, averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals as a junior. She’s one of the Valley’s best pure scorers in recent years. But she’ll also punish any team that overcommits to her with her next-level court vision.
Jayden McNeal, Borah
The Eastern Washington commit presents a pick-your-poison scenario. Assign a guard to defend the 6-1 senior and she’ll outmuscle her in the paint. Commit a post to her and she’ll blow by her and get to the rim. She averaged 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, numbers sure to go up as a four-year starter.
Ashley Banks, Boise
Few opponents can match up with the 6-5 senior one-on-one, forcing teams to get creative. The Southern Utah signee dictates the flow of the game with her size, strength and efficiency in the paint. She racked up 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a year ago.
THE FAVORITE
TIMBERLINE
Last season: 12-4, 9-1 5A SIC
Coach: Andy Jones, fourth season
Players to watch: Audrey Taylor, sr., G; Sophie Glancey, sr., P; Lauren McCall, jr., G
Last year’s 5A SIC regular-season champ, the Wolves return five starters as the heavy preseason favorite.
A pair of Division I signees in Taylor and Glancey give Timberline two of the state’s top players. Add in a load of varsity experience, a deep bench and the athletic weapons to run opponents out of the gym, and Timberline has all the tools to finish atop the standings again and gun for its first state title since 2003.
The Wolves disappointed in last year’s district and state tournaments, finishing without a trophy. That should add more fuel to the fire for this year’s group.
THE CONTENDERS
MOUNTAIN VIEW
Last season: 20-2, 8-2 5A SIC
Coach: Connie Skogrand, 18th season
Players to watch: Naya Ojukwu, sr., F; Demi Thompson, so., G; Sierra Grizzle, jr., G
Graduation hit the two-time defending state champs hard. The Mavericks lost six seniors, including three now playing college basketball.
But Mountain View has plenty of talent to chase another title. Ojukwu will give opponents nightmares all season with her size, strength and nose for the ball. Thompson (7.8 ppg, 2.1 steals) returns as the team’s top defender. And Skogrand said the team should be even better defensively this year, with loads of athletic players.
But the Mavericks start the season with three freshmen on the roster, which could lead to some early growing pains.
BOISE
Last season: 11-5, 7-3 5A SIC
Coach: Kim Brydges, 17th season
Players to watch: Ashley Banks, sr., P; Avery Howell, so., F; Ella Nelson, sr., G; Ava Oakland, sr., G/F
Finding a point guard to replace four-year starter and first-team All-Idaho pick Allison Ross remains at the top of the do-list. But the bevy of scoring options at Boise ought to make whoever wins the job look like an all-star.
The 6-5 Banks gives Boise one of the state’s most dominant forces inside the paint. The Brave field a pair of NAIA commits — Nelson (7.7 ppg) and Oakland (6.0 ppg) — in the backcourt. And the 5-11 Howell (8.3 ppg, 8.9 rebounds) can play, and score from, any position on the floor.
BORAH
Last season: 7-5, 7-3 5A SIC
Coach: George Rodriguez, second season
Players to watch: Jayden McNeal, sr., G/F; Sydnie Rodriguez, so., PG; Abby Rowedder, sr., G
Five returning starters, a lockdown defense (39.5 ppg) and several college prospects have the Lions eyeing a rare state tournament berth, and maybe even their first state tournament trophy since 2006.
Four-year starter McNeal draws much of the attention, but senior guard Maggie Sawyer has committed to Willamette (Division III). And Rodriguez (10.5 ppg), a high-IQ point guard, already holds an offer from Portland, and more will surely follow.
The offense can struggle to score at times (39.6 ppg). But with all that talent, those days should be behind the Lions.
THE DARK HORSES
EAGLE
Last season: 5-8, 3-7 5A SIC
Coach: Jeremy Munroe, first season
Players to watch: Aspen Carter, sr., G; Sydney Beck, sr., F; Mikaila Bowlden, sr., F; Makya Stice, sr., G
Munroe steps in as the Mustangs’ third coach in the past three years. He inherits a squad that missed last year’s state tournament but returns three starters.
Carter takes the top billing after leading the team in points (13.6) and assists (2.4) last season. She’s a force on the offensive end who creates for others. She’s surrounded by a mix of versatile players, Munroe said, but another new system will take time to learn.
MERIDIAN
Last season: 13-6, 8-2 5A SIC
Coach: Jason Nichols, first season
Players to watch: Paige Watson, sr., G; Taylor Bonning, sr., F; Abby Kinneman , jr., G
Do-everything guard and conference player of the year Jaleesa Lawrence now plays at Eastern Washington. Add in a first-year coach, and last year’s state tournament qualifier starts this season almost from scratch.
Watson and Bonning return to the starting lineup, giving the Warriors two experienced pieces to build around. Bonning excelled as the third scoring option a year ago, and Watson brings leadership. But a new system, new terminology and new teammates will take time to gel, Nichols said.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Last season: 8-12, 3-7 5A SIC
Coach: BJ Humphreys, third season
Players to watch: Brielle Magnuson, jr., G; Marli Reed, sr., G; Sydney Tannaci, sr., F
The Grizzlies received devastating preseason news when they lost sophomore CeCe Legaspi, a second-team all-conference pick last year, to an injury. But fate helped even the scales with Magnuson moving in from Post Falls.
Humphreys said Magnuson will lead Rocky Mountain with her athleticism, which makes her a scoring threat inside and out. She’ll pair with Reed, last year’s leading scorer (10.6 ppg), to form a potent backcourt. But a lack of height will make stopping the league’s bigger teams a challenge.
SKYVIEW
Last season: 7-11, 5-5 5A SIC
Coach: Kacy Bonds, second season
Players to watch: Avery Peterson, sr., G; Brea Cahoon, sr., P; Hallee Schelhaas, sr., G/W; Andi Wolf, sr., G/W
After a 3-33 conference record its first two seasons in the 5A SIC, the Hawks vaulted up the standings last year. Skyview plans to pick up right where it left off with an experienced lineup.
A long youth movement should start paying dividends, with four starters and nine of 11 rotation players back. Peterson leads the group, holding a school record for 3-pointers in a game (seven). But outside of Cahoon, the Hawks don’t have a ton of height to match up with the league’s powers.
THE UNDERDOGS
CENTENNIAL
Last season: 1-15, 1-9 5A SIC
Coach: Candace Thornton, sixth season
Players to watch: Annie Stinar, sr., PG; Eliana Ti’a, fr., G; Gracie Christensen, sr., F
The former powerhouse has fallen on hard times, missing the state tournament four years in a row and fielding the league’s most porous defense (60.3 ppg) three years in a row.
Thornton said those struggles created a hungry group that dedicated itself in the offseason. Stinar remains the straw that stirs the Pats’ drink. But Christensen (5.3 ppg) and the Ti’a sisters, Eliana and Mrtanetta, give Centennial a more athletic lineup to try to climb back up the standings.
OWYHEE
Last season: 0-0, 0-0 5A SIC
Coach: Jordan Ax, first season
Players to watch: Emma Atchley, jr., G; Bailey Brooks, jr., P; Hayley Hatzenbeller, sr., G/P; Josie Davis, fr., G
First-year programs always battling growing pains. The Storm are no exception, with a single senior and five freshmen on the roster.
But Owyhee may take the league by surprise. A bounty of height and speed give the Storm plenty of bodies to work with in their up-tempo system, Ax said. And plenty of teams would love to have a scorer like Atchley, an inside presence like Brooks and a shooter like Hatzenbeller.
CAPITAL
Last season: 0-11, 0-10 5A SIC
Coach: Ron Marthe, fourth season
Players to watch: Allie Laufenburger, sr., SG; Gracie Strickland, sr., P; Hannah Price, sr., PG/SF
The Eagles went young two years ago, leading to plenty of tough nights. But Capital should start reaping the benefits of all those tough lessons by having five returning starters.
Laufenburger (6.9 ppg) led the team in scoring and Strickland in rebounding (6.2) each of the past two years. Capital already broke its 18-game losing streak with a season-opening win vs. Mountain Home. But confidence remains a fragile element for a long-struggling team.
KUNA
Last season: 8-10, 4-6 5A SIC
Coach: Katie Holmes, first season
Players to watch: Cadence Mann, sr., G; Brylin Field, jr., G; Harlee Grant, jr., G
The Kavemen held their own after returning to the 5A level last year and qualified for the district tournament. But Kuna hits the reset button with a new coach and only one returning starter in Mann, the team’s defensive ace.
Holmes said the Kavemen are embracing the growing pains that come with a new coaching staff, but she’s still searching for the right combination on the floor.
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 5:29 PM.
