4A SIC girls basketball preview: The players, teams vying to put the league back on top
The 4A Southern Idaho Conference used to rule Idaho girls basketball. But the Boise-area league failed to win a single game at last year’s state tournament, its worst showing since Idaho created the 4A classification in 2000-01.
So who can restore the SIC to glory? We took a look at the league’s top players and teams this winter.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Payton Hymas, Middleton
The reigning conference player of the year and first-team All-Idaho pick has committed to play at Lewis-Clark State College next year. The point guard pushes the pace, picks defenses apart and brings a wealth of experience after averaging 11.2 points, 5.6 assists and 2.8 steals a year ago.
Cassidy Fried, Middleton
The 6-foot-2 senior center dominates the paint with her size, strength and shot-blocking prowess. But her athleticism makes her a threat all over the floor, including on the break. She was a second-team All-Idaho selection last year with 9.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game.
Lexi Robertson, Columbia
She burst onto the scene as a freshman, averaging 7 points per game. A pair of knee surgeries sidelined the senior the past two seasons. She’ll look to make up for lost time as the leader of the upstart Wildcats alongside her sister, sophomore Ellie Robertson, a second-team all-league pick.
Mylie Mills, Columbia
The 5-10 junior forward used smooth footwork and the ability to finish with both hands to rack up 7.8 points and 7.7 rebounds as a sophomore. But what separates her from the pack is her nonstop motor. The first-team all-conference volleyball pick will simply outwork everyone in the paint until she gets what she wants.
THE FAVORITE
MIDDLETON
Last season: 17-4, 12-1 4A SIC
Coach: Trent Harrison, second season
Players to watch: Payton Hymas, sr., PG; Casidy Fried, sr., C; Reesa Whitworth, sr., SF; Sheridan Mortensen, sr., W
The reigning conference and district champ returns with four starters to make another run at some hardware.
Fried and Hymas give the Vikings a potent inside-outside threat. But the route back to the Idaho Center comes from Middleton’s lockdown defense. Harrison said the unit has only gotten tougher mentally and physically after allowing 35.6 points per game a year ago.
Add in a sophomore transfer from Bishop Kelly already making waves, Robynn Flowers, and the Vikings stand as the unquestioned team to beat in their final season before moving up to 5A.
THE CONTENDERS
BISHOP KELLY
Last season: 12-8, 11-3 4A SIC
Coach: Derek McCormick, 14th season
Players to watch: Addie Hiler, jr., G; Logan McCarthy, jr., G; Caroline Knothe, jr., F
McCormick returns to the sideline after a season away. And he’ll have to rebuild the Knights with just one returning starter and one senior.
Ali Chatteron (first-team all-conference) graduated, and Anna Schmautz (second team) opted not to play this year. But Hiler (9.4 ppg, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists) gives the Knights a tall guard capable of scoring inside the paint, from midrange and behind the arc.
McCormick said to expect BK’s defense to feed its offense, a trademark of the Knights under his leadership and an asset they’ll need to rely on with a young lineup.
COLUMBIA
Last season: 13-12, 10-4 4A SIC
Coach: Neal Robertson, third season
Players to watch: Lexi Robertson, sr., G; Mylie Mills, jr., P; Ellie Robertson, so., G
The Wildcats turned the 4A SIC on its head a year ago. Picked seventh out of eight teams in the preseason, Columbia made a run to the district finals and qualified for its first state tournament in program history.
Few will overlook the Wildcats again this year. Two starters return in Mills and Ellie Robertson (10.3 ppg), who broke out as a freshman. Lexi Robertson also returns after two knee surgeries.
All that experience and talent have Columbia capable of running a nine- or 10-player rotation, something it could only dream of in the past.
THE DARK HORSES
EMMETT
Last season: 9-15, 6-8 4A SIC
Coach: Amos Lee, first season
Players to watch: Kamryn Alder, sr., G; Layci Andrews, sr., G/F; Trinity Sammons, sr., G; Hailee Stephenson, jr., F
The Huskies lost the league’s leading scorer, Jazzy Jenkins, to graduation. But three starters return for what figures to be a deeper squad.
Lee, a former Meridian girls basketball coach, takes over the team and brings a new offense and defense. That will create a steep learning curve, especially with four freshmen and three sophomores on the roster. But he said the Huskies will have multiple threats on the floor instead of relying on one player to carry them.
NAMPA
Last season: 14-6, 6-3 4A SIC
Coach: Erica Weissenbuehler, first season
Players to watch: Bethany Knight, sr., G; Atira Moore, jr., G; Rylee Sitts, sr., G; Angelina Yzquierdo, so., PG
The combo of Piper Curry and Audrah Radford helped the Bulldogs snap a streak of five straight losing seasons and get within a game of making it to state. But both graduated, with Radford leaving early to play volleyball at Utah State.
That leaves Nampa to rebuild on the fly. Weissenbuehler said to expect a deeper team with scoring distributed throughout a small, athletic lineup. Yzquierdo returns as one of two starters, and the Bulldogs elected the sophomore point guard as a team captain.
THE UNDERDOGS
RIDGEVUE
Last season: 3-14, 2-10 4A SIC
Coach: William Rodgers, second season
Players to watch: Jasmin Villa, sr., W; Jasmine Kachur, so., W/P; Jacotah Thomas, so., G; Addison Bouyear, fr., P
The Warhawks have struggled since the school opened, posting a 9-97 (.085) record the past five years. They won a record three games in Rodgers’ first season.
First-team all-conference guard Sarah Means moved out of state, leaving big shoes to fill. But Villa (10 ppg, 7 rebounds) steps into a leadership role as a multiposition weapon. The program also has added several key freshmen.
CALDWELL
Last season: 8-13, 4-8 4A SIC
Coach: Ashley Green, fourth season
Players to watch: Stephanie Bryson, sr., G; Tamar Callender, fr., PG; A’Mya Gonzalez, so., PG/SG; Selena Chaves, jr. F
After three straight trips to state, the Cougars crashed back to earth last season. That performance and heavy graduation losses leave Caldwell looking up in the preseason.
A young group will have to learn on the fly, Green said. But a hard-nosed defense and fast-break offense remain Caldwell’s calling cards. Bryson will lead the team on both ends of the floor, but expect Callender to turn some heads in her freshman season.
VALLIVUE
Last season: 1-22, 0-14 4A SIC
Coach: Andrew Lopez, first season
Players to watch: Daisha Kiester, sr., PF; Alondra Osuna, jr., SG; Jaimee Cagle, jr., PG; Codi Child, sr., SG
The Falcons hit rock bottom last year, failing to win a single conference game and finishing last in 4A SIC with just 26.9 points per game. But Lopez takes over a program with five returning starters and enough returning talent for a turnaround.
Kiester and Osuna, a three-year starter, headline the offense. Lopez said a bounty of speed and scrappy players should make up for Vallivue’s lack of size.
