'Nothing is going to be given to us': Confident Bulldogs hope to take the next step

SANDPOINT — About nine months ago, Sandpoint girls basketball wrapped up a perfect season in Inland Empire League play and punched its ticket to state for the sixth time in seven years.

At state, the Bulldogs beat Burley in their opener, ran into a buzz saw in Bonneville in the semis and fell to Caldwell in the third place game. Since, Sandpoint hasn’t seen another team.

Summer leagues and tournaments were wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the Bulldogs with a void this offseason. It wasn’t a problem unique to Sandpoint though. Every school faced the same obstacles, but this team is confident they’ll be able to overcome the limited offseason and excel.

“I think everyone is just clicking a little bit better this year,” senior Bella Phillips. “I’m excited to see where it takes us.”

Sure, the Bulldogs didn’t get to see another team this summer and gain valuable playing experience, but they weren’t sitting at home twiddling their thumbs.

Every opportunity Sandpoint got, they were putting in the time to improve. Through restrictions and countless safety precautions, head coach Will Love was able to hold open gyms, shootarounds and developmental sessions during the summer.

It wasn’t the offseason anyone was hoping for, but Love said the turnout was great and the kids kept a positive attitude through it all.

“That didn’t deter most of them, they kept coming down and working on their game,” he said.

Love isn’t sure if his squad got more or less time this offseason than other schools in North Idaho, but the Bulldogs have a leg up on league foes Lakeland and Moscow in one area — state experience.

Nine of the 14 players that made the trip to state last year are back. Sandpoint did lose five seniors, including league MVP Dawson Driggs and all-league selection Maddie Morgan, and Love admitted they will miss the presence those two brought to the court every night, but the pieces are in place for another state run.

“I like what I see,” Love said. “I’ve been very optimistic about this group. I’ve told them that I think they have the opportunity to be a pretty good basketball team, but they’re going to have to work hard. Nothing is going to be given to us because we’re small … but these kids have some talent that I think will allow them to counter the height that other teams have.”

Last year, a pair of freshmen emerged and played significant roles for the Bulldogs — Kelsey Cessna and Daylee Driggs.

Love said Kelsey gave the Bulldogs some great minutes off the bench last season and he is expecting her to be more of a focal point this winter. Love sees a lot of Dawson in Daylee with her ability to facilitate on offense and attack the basket and has high hopes for her as well.

Love asked both of them to improve their outside shot during the offseason and he can already tell they’ve put the time in.

“They are going to be really key players for us,” senior Hattie Larson said about Kelsey and Daylee. “They work super well together and I know that they are going to be huge for us.”

Seniors Lily Gammon and Riley Cessna, and juniors Destiny Lyons and Sofia Platte are expected to play significant roles as well, along with sophomores Anna Reinink, Tru Tomco and Karlie Banks.

Sandpoint has plenty of youth that Love praised for being basketball savvy and great decision makers. Larson sees a lot of potential coming up through the program and she said the underclassmen have stepped up to the challenge, which has really impressed her.

“The younger kids know how to push the upperclassmen and we know how to push them so they make us better and we make them better,” she said. “I’m confident that they are on the right track.”

Ultimately though, the Bulldogs’ success this season will come down to the play of its three senior captains. Larson, Phillips and Kaylee Banks form a core that Love believes all have the potential to be all-league this year.

“Those girls have been a part of the program and they kind of know the expectations,” he said. “I’ve been challenging them with the leadership stuff and pushing them when it comes to expanding their games.”

For Banks, she worked on her confidence driving to the hoop and fighting through contact during the offseason. She spent a lot of time at the Litehouse YMCA courts with her siblings, including her older brother, Kobe Banks, who was the leading scorer on the SHS boys basketball team last season.

When she was able to finish at the basket with Kobe defending her, it gave her a boost.

“Every time I scored on him, it made me feel pretty confident,” she said.

Banks is stepping into the starting point guard role and she is planning on being more vocal on and off the court this winter.

Love said the position really plays to Banks’ strengths and he thinks she’ll shine this season.

“She’s gifted with the basketball and a lot of good things happen when she has it,” he said.

Banks and Phillips are fresh off a season on the volleyball team. Phillips said it was difficult to go to open gyms this fall with volleyball in full swing but once the season wrapped up she quickly flipped the switch and turned her attention to the hardwood.

Despite the strange offseason and limited time together, Phillips believes the team has grown and the chemistry they have will allow the Bulldogs to fight through any adversity they encounter.

Phillips will start at post for SHS, but depending on who is on the court she’ll step out to wing as well. Phillips said she’s been working on her outside game and is looking forward to knocking down some 3-pointers this season.

At 5-foot-10, Phillips isn’t your typical post player, but she embraces it.

“I just like being there because usually I’m going against someone taller than me and I like the competition,” she said. “It’s just both of us going at it and it forces me to be better because I got to fight for that spot against other teams.”

The captains think last year’s state experience will help them navigate an uncertain winter and Phillips said the team learned a lot about themselves down in Boise.

“It’s going to give the younger players an idea of what’s to come,” Phillips said, “and just that level of competition because not all the teams we play are at the state level. I think when we went there, we were a little surprised in a way about how fast paced everything was, so that kind of gave us an idea of what to work.”

Love said the state tournament showed his team needed to work on ball handling and spreading the floor. He said the Bulldogs have a wealth of versatile, athletic players and they should play to their strengths to open up the court.

“I think when we were looking back at last year some of our best moments offensively were in our five-out set,” he said, “so it provides an opportunity for some kids on our team that have a really good ability to drive and get it to the hoop.”

For the first time in her career, Larson enters the basketball season without an appearance at the 4A state soccer tournament.

Larson, the starting goalie on the Sandpoint soccer team, saw her hopes of making it to state get ripped away by Moscow in mid-October.

The loss hurt, but the disappointment is motivating her this winter, and now she wants to beat the Bears even more.

“It was a big realization not going to state for soccer,” she said. “After that loss I was like, it’s basketball season.”

Sandpoint went 17-9 last year and Larson, an all-league selection last year, said the Bulldogs are ready to hit the court and defend their district crown.

“My goal for this season is to try and compete at state and hopefully win a state title,” Banks said. “I think our team is really capable of doing it and I think we had a good shot at it last year, I think we just had some conflicts within ourselves.”

In the past, the varsity team has practiced separate from JV. But this year, Love is having the two squads practice together.

“I felt it was time to kind of bring us all together,” he said.

The move has shown the Bulldogs’ depth, Love said, and allows the team to be prepared if anyone gets injured or quarantined this season because you have to be ready for anything in 2020.

Last year, it seemed like a different player stepped every night for the Bulldogs and led the team in scoring. Love is anticipating a similar philosophy this season and of course the stingy Sandpoint defense will be on display every night.

“Teams are going to have to defend all the kids on the floor because all of them bring something to the game,” Love said.

The captains have also helped the Bulldogs implement a new weight training program this season. With the 4A and 5A Inland Empire League joining forces this winter, Love knows they need to step up their game in all facets.

“That’s something we’ve got to be able to step up to,” he said. “We’ve got to be quicker and we’ve got to be stronger because we want to compete with those 5A’s.”

State is on the minds of every player for the Bulldogs, but they also realize the season could come to an end at any point due to the pandemic.

Regardless of the outcome of this season, Banks said this team will always be special to her due to the commitment and effort they all display.

“I think everyone works their hardest on the floor,” she said, “and everyone gives 100 percent off the floor, even if we’re all just drained and super tired.”

Love said the girls are embracing every opportunity they get this winter and appreciating each day they get together, and he hopes he can give them one final memory to hold onto.

“Rather than dwell on those things we’re doing what we can,” he said, “and if we get to play Tuesday, you’re going to have a lot of excited kids and coaches.”

The Bulldogs will open the season 7 p.m. tonight at Les Rogers Court against Post Falls. No fans will be in attendance due to Stage 2 guidelines outlined by Idaho Gov. Brad Little. Sandpoint heads to Timberlake on Thursday before entering Thanksgiving break.