5A SIC girls basketball: Ranking the league’s top teams, contenders and dark horses
The 5A Southern Idaho Conference girls basketball title is up for grabs with defending champion Middleton High moving up to the 6A ranks.
Bishop Kelly, which won back-to-back district tournament titles in 2023 and 2024, ascended to the top of the list as the near-unanimous favorite in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches.
The Idaho Statesman examined each team, their top players and their chances as the season begins. Teams are listed in their order of finish in the preseason poll.
5A SIC PRESEASON POLL
1. BISHOP KELLY
Last season: 17-9, 12-2 5A SIC
Coach: Derek McCormick, 18th season
Players to watch: Julia Baerlocher, jr., W; Aubree McCarthy, sr., W/F; Reagan Williams, jr., F; Alaina Stiffler, jr., PG
Outlook: The Knights saw a lot of turnover in the offseason with the graduation of seven seniors and two players stepping away to focus on other sports.
But that doesn’t change expectations for BK, which has qualified for the state tournament four years in a row, including a consolation title in 2024 and a third-place finish in 2023.
Baerlocher came off the bench last season and was a deadly threat from 3-point range, sinking six triples in a game against eventual 3A state champion Parma. McCarthy is one of just two seniors on this year’s roster, and Williams will be relied upon as a top defender and rebounder.
Stiffler steps in to the starting role at point guard after seeing most of her playing time on JV a year ago.
2. COLUMBIA
Last season: 9-16, 7-7 5A SIC
Coach: Neal Robertson, seventh season
Players to watch: Yani Lincoln, sr., G; Bailey Robertson, so., G; Grace Wilson, fr., G
Outlook: Continuity will be a strength for the Wildcats, with four returning starters and the second-longest tenured coach in the league.
But Columbia will need to replace the production of 5A SIC Co-Player of the Year Addy Bayne, who graduated.
Some of that responsibility will fall on Robertson, who averaged 7.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game to earn 5A SIC second-team honors as a freshman. Lincoln, a team captain, brings three years of varsity experience, and Wilson looks to make a splash in her varsity debut. Avi Lincoln and Gabby Nabors are also back as starters.
“We feel in a half-court set we will be tough defensively,” Robertson said. “We have players with high game IQ that have experienced good, solid coaching and development prior and during their time in our program.”
3. SKYVIEW
Last season: 8-14, 6-8 5A SIC
Coach: Joe Betancourt, third season
Players to watch: Marylee Freeman, so., SF; Reese Michelson, sr., PG/SG; Kaylee Brown, sr., C; Leah Orelus, jr., SG
Outlook: The Hawks return experience inside and out, including three starters, and have the reigning 5A SIC Coach of the Year to guide them.
Brown was a 5A SIC all-conference second-team pick, averaging 8 points and 8 rebounds per game, and Michelson received honorable mention recognition as one of Skyview’s best shooters. Freeman (8 ppg, 5 rebounds) provides versatility, capable of playing all five positions, and Orelus can create her own shot off the dribble and is a go-to defender on the perimeter.
Betancourt says the Hawks aim to be “consistent and competitive from game to game.”
4. EMMETT
Last season: 13-13, 10-4 5A SIC
Coach: Mark Priano, fourth season
Players to watch: Ryllie Smith, sr., W/F; Taylor Sammons, jr., W; Mackenzie Moses, so., PG/W
Outlook: The Huskies fell a game short of qualifying for the state tournament, losing in the play-in game last season.
Emmett will try to build on that momentum, returning two starters and adding impact players from its JV roster.
Smith averaged 7 points per game after returning from an ACL injury midway through last season, Sammons contributed 6.5 points per game, and Moses moves up after leading the JV team in 2024-25.
The Huskies limited opponents to 38.9 points per game last season, second-best in the 5A SIC, and Priano expects defense to be a strength again this season.
“(We’re) hoping to continue our team’s trend of solid defensive rotations and holding our defensive points per game average to below 40,” Priano said.
5. VALLIVUE
Last season: 5-17, 4-10 5A SIC
Coach: Laurie Kiester, first season
Players to watch: Madaleen Amey, sr., W/F; Gracie Mower, sr., F/P; Melissa Haro, sr., G; Jillian Kiester, jr., G/F
Outlook: The Falcons rebounded from a winless league record in 2023-24 to earn four wins in the 5A SIC last season.
With five returning starters and a new coach, Vallivue is eager to continue its climb up the conference standings.
Jillian Kiester is the Falcons’ only returning all-conference player, earning an honorable mention nod last season. Amey possesses speed, a strong vertical and the ability to play any position, while Haro will be Vallivue’s primary ballhandler. Mower and Flores also return as starters.
Laurie Kiester cites speed and athleticism as two of Vallivue’s biggest strengths.
6. CALDWELL
Last season: 6-18, 3-11 5A SIC
Coach: Emilie Eckhart, second season
Players to watch: Yazmeen Montanez, sr., G; Yesenia Montanez, jr., G; Lila Walker, so., PG
Outlook: The Cougars have finished with six overall wins the past two seasons and are looking to climb the 5A SIC standings with the return of three starters.
Yazmeen Montanez is entering her fourth year on varsity and will be a key leader for Caldwell. Yesenia Montanez serves as the Cougars’ defensive anchor, averaging 3 steals per game last season, while Walker will guide the offense from the point for the second year in a row.
“Our biggest strength is our defense; we rely heavily on our defense to stay in games,” Eckhart said. “We play aggressively and look to protect our paint. We also look to force turnovers and get into transition to score early in the shot clock.”
7. NAMPA
Last season: 1-21, 0-14 5A SIC
Coach: Tyler Avey, first season
Players to watch: Lena Erickson, sr., G; Hailee Karpowitz, sr., F; Sylvia Wells, sr., G; Kaylani Yzquierdo, so., G
Outlook: It’s been a rough stretch for the Bulldogs, who have gone a combined 2-55 the past three seasons, but they welcome a new coach with the hope of reversing that trend.
Avey will have nine returning varsity players to work with, including three starters.
Erickson and Karpowitz each earned 5A SIC all-conference honorable mention recognition last season, with Karpowitz leading the Bulldogs in scoring and rebounding.
Avey describes Wells as the “heartbeat” of the team, and Yzquierdo is back after finishing second on the team in scoring a year ago.
“We have established an identity as a blue-collar team,” Avey said. “We work hard on defense and will be a tough out every night.”
