'We can make it': A berth to state is within reach for CF girls basketball

CLARK FORK — There is something different about the girls basketball team this season.

Maybe it’s the youth. Maybe it’s the pandemic. Or maybe it’s the fact that Sara Hathaway and Ellie Kiebert are no longer wearing Lady Cat uniforms.

Whatever it is, one thing is clear — this team believes they have what it takes to end an eight-year state drought.

“I feel like if we keep our confidence up and just play our hardest we can make it,” junior Katelyn Matteson said.

The biggest question is, do the Lady Cats have the depth to make a run at a North Star League title and a state berth? Heading into the season, Clark Fork has nine players on its roster.

Matteson, junior Eva Hoffman and sophomores Emily Myers and Paige Valliere are the team’s only returners. The other five — Kellie Mace, Grace Yancey, Breezy Fournier, Eloise Shelton and Lily Reuter — are new to the squad.

Hoffman said the only thing holding the Lady Cats back this winter is their numbers, otherwise, the sky’s the limit.

But through two weeks of practice, the inexperience of some of the players hasn’t shown on the court, head coach Jordan Adams said.

“We have two new girls that are juniors that haven’t played in years or haven’t played at all and I was pretty nervous when they first showed up … but they’ve had zero issues,” she said. “And our two new freshmen are awesome. They are go-getters without a doubt.”

Clark Fork is no stranger to low numbers. Last season, the team carried eight players for most of the year and the irregularity in numbers means the Lady Cats will have no seniors this winter.

Adams said the uncertainty this offseason certainly didn’t help their efforts to recruit more players to the team either.

Besides open gyms, Clark Fork was planning on having about a week per month this summer dedicated to playing basketball at camps and tournaments, but that was all wiped away due to COVID-19.

“We didn’t get to do anything,” Adams said about the offseason.

Adams knows her girls got together and played pickup, but the lack of an offseason is a challenge they will encounter.

“When you get out of the habit of self discipline and training and you don’t have anybody to push you, it’s a lot harder,” Adams said.

The Lady Cats will also have to find a way to replace their top two scorers from last season — Kiebert and Hathaway.

Kiebert was named the NSL MVP and Hathaway earned all-league honors as well. The pair were the heart and soul of last year’s squad and impacted the game in some fashion every night.

Whenever you walked in the gym last season to watch the Lady Cats play, the intensity and focus Kiebert and Hathaway brought to the court was evident. Now practices are a little more relaxed.

Matteson admitted the team will miss their presence this winter.

“I feel like it’s definitely going to be hard because they were two of our main players and they did contribute so much … but I do feel like they will get their shoes filled,” she said.

Hoffman said they are still adjusting to life without Kiebert and Hathaway.

“It’s definitely come up in practice, too,” she said. “We’ll be like, ‘Man what the heck I feel like Ellie should be yelling at us right now.’ It’s just weird because now we’re the kids that are supposed to be doing that.”

A good chunk of the scoring for the Lady Cats will fall on the shoulders of Matteson and she said she is more than ready to take on that responsibility.

In the 1A Division II District 1 title game against No. 1 seed Lakeside last season, Matteson caught fire and scored 32 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter.

Matteson said that performance gave her a lot of confidence that she hopes to carry with her this season.

“Before that I had off games,” she said, “and had only been scoring maybe five, 10 points every game and then that game just made me feel like I was a part of the team and actually contributed something, so this year I feel like one of the top players.”

Matteson said she spent a lot of time this offseason playing on her home court against her siblings and improving her shooting consistency.

Adams said Matteson is known for her shooting ability, but she’s also a great passer and defender, and she will be key to the Lady Cats’ success this season.

“She definitely has a huge role on the team and there’s no question about it,” Adams said about Matteson. “I don’t even know if she knows she’s in a leadership role, the girls just kind of turn to her.”

Despite having a limited offseason, Adams said the returners are dialed in and the newcomers are picking things up fast. And she isn’t worried about there being a lack of leadership on the court.

“Between [Matteson], [Myers] and [Valliere] it’s smooth,” she said. “They can direct everything, they can walk everybody through plays. It actually makes my job easier because I’m like, ‘Hey, I forgot my playbook, let’s run this, how did we do it last year?’ That part has been pretty nice.”

The Lady Cats’ small team also has plenty of versatility.

“We do have a really nice mix of posts and guards this year,” Adams said. “I’m not used to having options for both.”

One of those posts is Hoffman, who saw plenty of playing time last year.

Hoffman said she enjoys battling in the paint because it’s simple.

“I’m not very fast, so I guess it’s nice I don’t have to run a lot,” she joked. “Plus, I like being right near the basket, it’s easier to get shots.”

For now, the Lady Cats will be playing all their games this season in front of no fans. Matteson and Hoffman said adjusting to looking over and not seeing their friends in the stands will be difficult.

“I think it’s going to be horrible,” Matteson said.

“I feel like it’s going to be sad,” Hoffman added.

But both believe the silent gyms won’t affect the team on the court.

Clark Fork’s chances of getting back to state for the first time since 2012 couldn’t get much better. Lakeside, the defending district champions, and Genesis Prep moved up to 1A Division I this season leaving only three teams in the North Star League.

The Lady Cats, who went 10-11 last season, only have to take down Mullan and Kootenai to get to the tourney and last year Clark Fork was 4-0 against those two schools.

This is Adams’ fourth year leading Clark Fork and she likes their chances this season, but due to the strange offseason she has no idea what to expect from their league foes.

“The probability is great, but the reality is there is always going to be obstacles,” she said. “What’s going to make or break it is, who wants it more and that’s really all it’s going to come down to this year.”

The Lady Cats also have a grueling schedule that includes games against Priest River, Bonners Ferry, Kellogg JV, Sandpoint JV and Post Falls JV.

Adams is all about defense and she expects her team to make up for any shortfalls they may see on the offense with relentless effort and pressure on the other end of the court.

The Lady Cats realize this season isn’t a guarantee and it could get taken anyway at any point. Matteson has been playing basketball her whole life and she said it’s a stress reliever for her and she couldn’t imagine not having this winter.

Adams said the social aspect of playing sports is so important for these kids and she’s so thankful to be in the gym coaching them.

“This makes my heart beyond happy and in my head I know this is good for them,” she said.

Clark Fork opens the season at Genesis Prep on Thursday, Dec. 3.