WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW: Sandpoint girls basketball hopes newcomers, veterans can work together to bring home another state title

SANDPOINT – The feeling of bringing home the first girls 4A state basketball championship back to Sandpoint is still in the air. Of course, after an achievement like such, the bar has been set high once again for the 2023-24 basketball season. Despite losing a couple of seniors, the team returns two top scorers this year and brings some new talent to the table – it could be enough to bring home another state title.

“For a state championship team, we’re pretty fortunate in who we have coming back this year,” head coach Will Love said. “We’ll be able to start the season a lot easier because those kids understand what we’re trying to do and they’re able to set the tone and help our younger kids understand the level we need to play at.”

Love said there are some newcomers who he believes are going to be really strong and some returners who are going to see expanded roles and minutes this year to help fill in the gaps. A couple of those newcomers happen to be freshmen Brecken Mire and Jordyn Tomco.

“They will definitely be getting a lot of time,” Love said in reference to Mire and Tomco. “They earned their spots and have been showing some great things in practice. I think they’re ready to be very successful at the varsity level. They bring a lot of experience having played all over the West Coast with club basketball teams … They’ve been working really hard, and we’re excited to see them play.”

Mire had 10 points and Tomco had seven in the team’s season opening win over Bonners Ferry.

The team’s top returners this season are seniors Karlie Banks and Aliya Strock. Last year, Strock was named the 5A-4A Girls High School Athlete of the Year, First Team All-State, and the 4A Inland Empire League Player of the Year. She averaged 14.3 points per game and 4.6 steals last season, both team-highs. In the team’s season opener against Bonners Ferry, she stuffed the stat sheet, recording 19 points, seven steals, six assists, and six rebounds.

As for Banks, she was named 4A IEL All-League last season and was a big part of the state championship team. Last season, she averaged 12 points per game and a team-high 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. 

Chloe Laybourne, Demi Driggs, and Lily Richardson should also see increased roles this year. Laybourne had a team-high 11 rebounds in the season opener against the Badgers.

The Bulldogs will face a tough non-conference schedule, which includes teams like Grangeville (2023 2A state-qualifier), Bonners Ferry, Timberlake (2023 3A state runner-up), and Kellogg. In addition to those teams, Love said he expects to be competitive against the 5A Inland Empire schools, who do carry some weight when it comes to playoff seeding.

“Our expectation is that we’re going to be able to compete against Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Lewiston, Lake City, etc.,” Love said. “There are some really talented basketball players in that 5A classification, but I think based on what we saw in the pre-season jamboree, we should be able to compete with those teams.”

Love said with addition of the shot clock, he is looking forward to adding some tempo presses to the defensive scheme this year.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of changes on defense this year from all teams,” Love said. “We saw in the jamboree that Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls we’re really mixing things up, and we’ll do much of the same.”

The team will travel to Idaho Falls for their annual tournament and are hoping to see some of the better 4A schools on the east side of the state. In the opening round, Sandpoint will face 5A Madison and will potentially see teams like Skyline, Pocatello, and Lakeland.

“One of the reasons we play in this tournament is because it replicates state tournament play,” Love said. “It’s always fun to play in a bracketed tournament with a championship on the line and I’m hoping we can compete for that.”

Love said that early on this season, he has talked to his team several times about the fact that teams are going to want to play extra hard to beat the defending 4A state champions and use them as a barometer for where they’re at.

“We’ve talked a lot about that; how we cannot fall into complacency,” Love said. “We have to work hard every single day. So far, I’m really pleased with what I’m seeing from these girls. They’re pretty hungry to go out and have another successful season.”

Love said he thinks the amount of effort the girls have put into summer leagues and into the club system will pay off tremendously. Off the court, the team has been bonding as well, volunteering at local food banks and at other team activities.

“While that doesn’t necessarily translate to buckets, I do believe it helps out quite a bit when the girls like being around each other and support each other,” Love said in reference to bonding off the court. “I believe if we can get our players believing in each other, believing in themselves, and competing as a whole program, it’s going to carry us a long way. If we want to be the best team in the state, that comes with competing on the court and with how you handle yourself off the court, and we put a lot of emphasis on that.”

Sandpoint will look to take down West Valley in their home opener at Les Rogers Court on Friday.

SHS Girls Basketball Schedule

11/21 @ Bonners Ferry 7 p.m.

11/30 vs. Timberlake 7 p.m. PPD

12/1 vs. West Valley 5:30 p.m.

12/2 @ East Valley 1:30 p.m.

12/5 vs. Coeur d’Alene 7 p.m.

12/8 vs. Post Falls 7 p.m.

12/12 @ Lake City 7 p.m.

12/14 @ Timberlake 7 p.m.

12/16 vs. Lewiston 3 p.m.

12/19 vs. Kellogg 7 p.m.

12/21 @ Grangeville (ICCU Arena) 5 p.m.

12/27-12/29 @ Timberline Tournament

1/2 @ Lewiston 7 p.m.

1/4 vs. Lake City 7 p.m.

1/5 vs. Lakeland 5:30 p.m.

1/10 @ Bonners Ferry 7 p.m.

1/16 vs. Moscow 7 p.m.

1/19 @ Lakeland 4 p.m.

1/30 @ Moscow 7 p.m.