'Play hard, play smart, and above all else, play together'

SANDPOINT — A bevy of state champion athletes will take to the hardwood for the Bulldog girls when the 2014-15 season tips off tonight at home.

Nearly every member of the Sandpoint basketball team was part of either the state champion soccer or cross country teams this fall. Hoops success at the state level, however, has been much tougher for the Bulldogs to come by through the years.

Hoping to change that is new head coach Duane Ward, who will look to build off the success of last year’s coach, Bill Bender, who led the Bulldogs to the state tournament after a lengthy absence.

Ward has coached at Sandpoint off and on at every level since 1966, including previous stints as the boys varsity coach and most recently, the girls varsity coach in the late ’90s. He’s hoping the winning attitude of his players can carry the team back to state.

“They all either did cross country or soccer, and are state champions in both of them,” says Ward of his charges. “They know how to compete and win. I can’t think of a better off-season program.”

Helping lead the way will be junior guard Madi Schoening, who scored more than 22 points four times last season and has been a key player in her first two years on varsity.

Schoening, an athletic returning all league player who fills nearly every column of the stat sheet, is strong in the open court, capable of finishing with either hand on the break.

“She runs the court well, kind of a slasher who is good at penetrating,” describes Ward of arguably the top 4A player in the Inland Empire League ranks. “We’re looking for big things from her.”

Joining Schoening in the backcourt will be junior point guard Riley Couch, who will set the tempo and get the Bulldogs into their offense, and 5-foot-11 freshman newcomer Grace Kirscher, who has a solid outside shot and is the rare player Ward feels can contribute as a freshman.

“Those three spots are pretty much interchangeable,” says Ward of his three-guard offense. “They’ll all have ball handling duties.”

Ward hopes to run an inside-out offense, creating shots by feeding the ball inside to a pair of senior posts in 5-11 Elani Williams and Lily Martin. Williams was one of the Bulldogs’ top rebounders and shot blockers last season, and Martin will be counted on to control things on the blocks.

“Lily is very strong, an excellent passer, and can score inside,” says Ward. “We’re looking for her to create inside.”

Martin is hoping the Bulldogs can build off last year’s success, and make another run at the state tournament, a rarity for the program in recent years. She feels the strength of the team lies in its camaraderie.

“You can’t have a winning team without liking each other and dealing with each other,” she says. “Talent will only get you so far.”

Ward hopes to play as many as 10 players, with sophomore Taylor Ward and junior Bre-Lyn Converse the first two guards off the bench. Also seeing minutes will be senior Morgan Bluemer, a valuable contributor to last year’s success, 5-11 senior post Aislynn Robertson, who will be counted on to rebound, and junior Paige Dumars, who brings great speed and tenacity to the court.

The team will get tested early, with three straight home games against Post Falls, Lake City and Coeur d’Alene, traditional 5A state powers.

After three home games, they hit the road for seven straight road games, making the first month of the season a grinder. If all goes well, the Bulldogs will hit their stride during the league stretch of the schedule.

Ward says the strength of the team is speed and athleticism, and the players’ willingness to bring a lunch pail mentality to the floor. He’s hoping to build on what the previous coaches have built, and getting each kid to play up to their potential.

“If we accomplish that, the record will be a byproduct of that,” says Ward. “They’re hard working kids, that’s what we want to do. Play hard, play smart, and above all else, play together.”