The Sumner High girls basketball team has evolved from a squad in disarray to a band of Spartan sisters on the verge of overtaking the powers that be in the new South Puget Sound League 2A.
The teams with the targets on their backs as SPSL 2A hoop action draws near are Eatonville, which went to the Class 2A state tournament in March, and nearby White River. White, a member of the SPSL 3A, White River steamrolled into the state hoopfest last year.
An abrupt postseason setback to Lakes High during last year’s West Central District 3A tournament derailed the Spartans, bringing that playoff cameo to a tearful termination.
This season, there could be a whole new tale to tell. The purple and gold returns its entire starting five from last season as seniors, with multiple reinforcements at each position.
The impressive group of returners starts in the post, where the Spartans feature a pair of adroit centers in Kaitlin King and Kendall Theden. The twin towers worked hard during the offseason, coach Robert Thayer said.
When they require a breather, 5-foot, 11-inch Ashley Delaney will enter the fray. If fouls or injuries should take their toll, Thayer holds that he would like to get athletic newcomer Raegan Wright some meaningful sub time in preparation for next year, when SHS loses its entire starting lineup to graduation.
At the guard position, seniors Erika Olsen and Angie Sanchez, both of whom garnered all-SPSL 3A honors last season, will be holding down the ball-handling chores. Should either falter, there are plenty of talented guard options waiting in the wings. Backcourt understudies are sophomores Breanna Allsop and Cascade Christian transfer Robi Long.
The starting wing position was earned by Tyeanne Lubking, who flourished in that slot last season as a junior, when she often recorded double digits in rebounding and scoring. Playing behind her will be Danni Babcock, who Thayer hopes to use as his defensive enforcer.
“In years past when the girls have become tired in the games, we have wanted to go to the well for substitution help, but due to our dwindling bench strength the well had almost always run dry,” Thayer said.
That is no longer a problem as 35 girls turned out.
“I am proud to report that we have a varsity, a junior varsity and a C team, all at 11 strong,” Thayer said, adding that having three full squads is the first step toward creating and maintaining a winning program.
