8th PLACE FINISH CAPS ANOTHER OUTSTANDING LADY DEVIL SEASON
The Lower Columbia Lady Devils made it to the final day of the NWAACC Championships for the second straight year. LCC took 8th place, dropping a 59-53 game to division rival Centralia. After a tough opening round loss to Wenatchee Valley, the Lady Devils battled back with wins over Chemeketa and Whatcom before the season ending loss to Centralia. Another 20 win season keeps the LCC women's basketball program in the upper echelon of the NWAACC.
There were plenty of tremendous performances in 2006. Nicole Hallman was named first-team all-West Region. Kayleigh Short was a second-team selection. Both played in the NWAACC Sophomore All-Star series along with Brihtani Lassiter and Stacey Fleming. Fleming was outstanding in the game, scoring 14 points and 14 rebounds for the West squad.
Five Lady Devils closed out stellar careers at LCC. Hallman and Short were tremendous leaders and all-region players. Fleming went from seldom-used freshman to a sophomore star. McKenna Clark was solid both years, providing leadership and productivity. Lassiter was a two-year starter who provided thrills from the point guard position. All will be missed next season.
Returning next season will be second leading scorer Tricia Hamilton and super-sub Vannesa McCormick. Both were outstanding as freshman and will be asked to lead the new squad in 2006-2007. Also returning and looking for increased roles are Samantha James, Zabrielle Little and Alexandria Jamieson.
2005-2006 Pre-Season Outlook
The foundation is in place for another exciting season of Lady Red Devil women’s basketball. Although the Lady Devil’s lost Western Division MVP Sara Burgoyne and 1st team All-League selection Jessica Grubb to graduation, Coach Jason Hoseney and his staff are confident the Lady Devils will make another successful run at the playoffs with the help of strong leadership from 5 returning sophomores and a crop of talented freshmen.
Two sophomores who will be looked upon to continue their success from last season are Brithani Lassiter and Nicole Hallman. Both Lassiter and Hallman started much of last year and will provide dependability and leadership in the backcourt.
“Brithani is one of the quickest most explosive players that I have ever had the opportunity to coach. She will put tremendous pressure on the defense in transition and takes care of the ball well in the half court. With an improved shot and a more mature presence on the floor we expect Brithani to be one of the better players in the division, comments Hoseney on his returning point guard.
“Nicole will move from a complimentary role to one of major significance. On several occasions Nicole scored 14 to 20 points in games last season. I expect she will need to average those kinds of numbers for us to fill the scoring gaps left behind by Sara and Jess.” Hoseney went on to say, “I have a great deal of confidence in Nicole and her ability to score in a variety of ways. Her confidence level shooting the ball is greatly improved and her ability to beat people off the dribble has always been exceptional. It will be fun to watch her relish in her new role.”
The loss of 5 sophomores from last season has opened the door to last year’s reserves McKenna Clark, Kayleigh Short and Staci Fleming.
“I am curious to see how McKenna, Kayleigh and Staci will fair stepping into their new roles,” Hoseney explains. “Each brings unique strengths we will be depending on in order to reach the level of play we enjoyed last year. McKenna showed great toughness in the NWAACC tournament and has the ability to score, rebound and block shots. Kayleigh was an understudy to Sara last season and hopes to replicate much of what the Western Division MVP accomplished in terms of scoring from the perimeter and shutting down opponent’s top scorers. Staci will be most responsible for making up a large percentage of the rebounding we lose from Lacey Nobles, Beth Smith and Jess. Staci is an exceptional rebounder and while she can’t replace three people, her efforts will go a long way.”
Eight new freshmen embark on the scene with enthusiasm and confidence. Freshmen include: Vanessa McCormick (North Pole, AK), Zabrielle Little (Portland, OR), Brittany Bennett (Federal Way, WA), Ayla Marjamaa (Anaconda, MT), Alex Jamieson (Stanwood, WA), Samantha James (Battle Ground, WA) and local standout Tricia Hamilton (Kelso, WA).
“Tricia has hit the ground running. I expect she will play a major role on the perimeter. She is an outstanding defender and can score in a variety of ways. Of course every freshmen must be allowed an adjustment period but Tricia has already begun to prove she belongs,” Hoseney comments.
“Vanessa, an All-State performer from Alaska, is a great athlete who can play a variety of positions. In time we will see Vanessa mature and develop into a potential All-League player,” Hoseney said.
Hoseney says Zabrielle has been a pleasant surprise. “I only saw her a few times in high school and am just now learning that she is a multi-faceted player. She reminds me a lot of Talana Watson, former Lady Devil All-League performer 2002-03, who was a tremendous defender but with the added ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter.”
Losing three experienced posts players to graduation is a concern for Hoseney but he believes freshmen Ayla Marjamaa and Samantha James have an opportunity to make an immediate impact.
“I think all of our freshmen have a chance to make an impact, but when you look at position needs , Ayla and Samantha, have a great opportunity,” said Hoseney.
Alex Jamieson and Brittany Bennett will provide depth in the backcourt this season for the defending Western Division Champions.
“I expect Brithani and Nicole will log significant minutes but as Alex and Brittany continue to improve and make adjustments to the college game we will find them minutes. I am very pleased with their recent work ethic and I anticipate that paying off for them over the course of the season,” Hoseney said.
The Lady Devils play two home games in November and find themselves on the road for the entire month of December. December will feature away games with some of the toughest competition the NWAACC has to offer: Walla Walla, Wenatchee Valley, and Columbia Basin.
“We open the NWAACC tournament against the East side so I purposely sought out the best competition from that division. Getting matched up with the defending champions, Columbia Basin, in the first game of the Yakima crossover was not planned, but we are excited about the opportunity. Our schedule gives us no excuses. Either we can compete or we will learn to,” Hoseney says in discussing this year’s tough schedule.