The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team will open the season with six returning letter winners from the 2001-02 season. They are (left to right) Melinda Feucht, Erin Boeve, Cassi Tilstra, Amanda Olson and Brittney Rozeboom. Missing is Sarah Rozeboom.
By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek will not put the oldest girls’ basketball team on the floor during the 2002-03 season, but that doesn’t mean the Patriots will lack experience.
With an 11-player preseason roster that consists of five players in the ninth or 10th grade, it appears Patriot coach Tom Goehle will lead an untested squad into battle.
In this case, appearances are deceiving.
H-BC has two starters and four other varsity letter winners from the 2001-02 campaign back in the mix.
Throw in some new players hungry for playing time, and the Patriot coach has reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.
"I’m really excited about this group," Goehle said. "As a coach, it’s hard not to be excited about your players at this time of year. We have a tremendous amount of potential. We have the type of players who love the game, which is evident by the time they put in to get better."
The Patriots are coming off a solid 2001-02 campaign during which they placed third in the Red Rock Conference Western Division with a 9-7 record, and completed the regular season with a 12-11 mark.
H-BC beat long-time rival Southwest Christian 44-43 in the quarterfinal round of the South Section 3A Tournament before its 13-12 year ended with a 47-39 loss to Fulda in the semifinals. Fulda went on to win the section championship and place fourth at state.
Three senior starters helped make last season a good one for H-BC.
Becky Broesder, a guard, tops the list. Broesder was named to the All-RRC Team at season’s end.
Guard Brittney Olson and forward Jody DeNoble also started for the Patriots during their senior seasons.
While last year’s seniors will be missed, Goehle is confident the 2002-03 Patriots will overcome their absence in time.
"I expect us to get much better as the season goes along. I’m not so sure what type of start we’ll get off to, but I expect us to be a tough team to beat after Christmas," he said.
The return of starters Erin Boeve and Cassi Tilstra gives the Patriots instant credibility.
Boeve, a 6-1 junior forward, made the All-RRC team after leading the Patriots in scoring and rebounding last season. Boeve has played at the varsity level since she was in the eighth grade, and her leadership skills and physical presence demand respect from all opposing teams.
Tilstra, a 5-9 sophomore guard, drew honorable mention status from the RRC coaches last winter. Tilstra is the type of player who likes to attack the basket and provides an outside scoring threat.
Sarah Rozeboom, Amanda Olson, Brittney Rozeboom and Melinda Feucht return with letters from last year and are expected to play bigger roles for the 2002-03 team.
Sarah Rozeboom, the team’s lone senior, is a 5-5 guard. Rozeboom brings experience and aggressiveness to the table. Goehle hopes her intensity rubs off on the rest of the team.
Olson, a junior post, has developed into a solid player in the paint area. Olson should be able to take some of the rebounding and scoring pressure off Boeve this season.
Brittney Rozeboom and Feucht are 5-5 and 5-7 sophomore guards. Feucht also can play as a forward. Rozeboom, a pesky defender, is a good ball-handler who will be H-BC’s floor general. Feucht is extremely quick, and she uses that trait to her advantage on defense.
The remaining five players on the roster will be competing at the varsity level for the first time. Kelly Mulder, a 6-0 sophomore post, leads the group.
"Kelly Mulder could be the most improved player in our program," Goehle said. "She put herself in a position to help us this year with hard work. As for the other girls, at any given time and in different situations, there will be a place for them to contribute if they keep working hard and improving."
Juniors Alissa Hoyme, Jessi Wassenaar and Melinda Standstede could make an impact at the varsity level. Hoyme is a 5-10 forward, Wassenaar a 5-9 forward-center and Sandstede a 5-6 guard-forward.
Stacy Bush, a 5-4 freshman guard, rounds out the roster.
With a blend of quickness and size, H-BC can have the best of both worlds on offense and defense.
"We have more overall quickness than we ever had before, so we should be able to get out and run. We also have as good of a post presence as we’ve had in a long time, so we can slow things down and work the ball inside, too. We’ll score quickly if we can. If not, we’ll try to be patient and make our opponents work hard defensively," Goehle said.
"I expect us to play hard on defense, and I also think we’ll be a smart defensive team. A big key for us defensively will be knowing where to be and how to get there."
The Patriot coach lists Fulda and Westbrook-Walnut Grove as the teams to beat in the RRC and the South Section 3A this season.
The Patriots open the campaign by hosting Ellsworth tomorrow.