The White River High girls basketball program has earned a place among the state’s elite, regularly churning out league championships and appearing in 11 of the past 13 state tournaments.

Now that the Hornets have dropped to Class 2A status, fans will likely expect to see another successful run. And the roster at the disposal of veteran coach Chris Gibson appears poised to rack up the victories.

“If this team defends like I think it can, we have a chance to be a good basketball team,” Gibson said, allowing that this group of Hornets has maintained a good attitude and remains hard-working.

Plenty of proven players dot the White River lineup, including returning starters Brooke Paulson, Sabra Sproul and Cassidy France. Paulson and Sproul, both seniors, are in their fourth year of varsity basketball and are proven scoring threats; France, a junior, is in her third varsity campaign and is the returning point guard.

Also boasting plenty of court time is sophomore Kennedy Hobert, who made an impact last year as a freshman.

Those four figure to be in Gibson’s starting lineup.

The final piece of the starting puzzle is a familiar face – though she previously wore opposition colors. Rani Wiegand, a 6-foot senior post who played for Bonney Lake, will now handle chores in the paint for the Hornets. While she’ll set up under the hoop, Wiegand also has a nice touch from the perimeter, Gibson said.

Other members of the varsity club are seniors Kelly O’Brian, Sierra Gulla and Emily Peloli; junior Amy Brons; and sophomore Sutton Mills.

“We’ve got some depth that I like,” Gibson said, reviewing the list of nonstarters.