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Tigers strive to turn program around
Soccer team earns tourney semifinal
berth
Tigers
poised for
big season |
With several returners from last season's team,
the Tigers look to make it back to the playoffs |
By B. Scott Anderson, Newberg
Graphic sports editor
E-mail Scott at banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
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 With the offensive and defensive weapons the Newberg High School girls
basketball team has, this season could be the best ever under coach Marianne Funderhide.
Last season the Tigers went 11-5 in the Pac-9 Conference and 17-10 overall
under Funderhide, a former NHS graduate who has guided the Tigers since 1998. Newberg
advanced to the second round of the state sub-district tournament before it was ousted by
West Albany.
The Tigers lost guard Ashley Hafner, a first team Pac-9
Conference pick, along with post Inge Pe’a, to graduation. But the Tigers return
seven seniors, including four starters from last season’s team. The prospects have
Funderhide optimistic, but cautious of a good season.
“It should be, but you don’t want to jinx it,” she said.
Senior point guard Allison Jensen (5-foot-7), senior post Vanessa Schmitz
(6-0), senior shooting guards Joede Leavitt (5-7) and Maria Acosta (5-7), join senior post
reserve Holly Winter (6-2), and senior guard Meghan Leonard (5-6), as well as sophomore
guards Anna Barram (5-7) and Jessica Parrish (5-6) in returning this year.
The Tigers also will receive help from a new player transferring from the
PIL’s Marshall High School, sophomore guard Celeste Campbell (5-4). Funderhide said
she will play the point and shooting guard positions this season.
“She gives us some of that attacking the basket off the dribble; she
gives us some speed and she can jump, get in the air,” Funderhide said.
“She’s got a nice outside shot, so that fits in nicely, as well. She’s a
very exciting player to watch and as she gets comfortable, I think she’ll be even
more exciting.”
Freshman post Sara Zahler (5-8) will also be an asset to the team in several
ways, Funderhide said.
“She can run the floor, so we’ll be able to keep the pace up with
her,” she said. “She’s got a nice outside shot, as well, which is nice as a
post. She’s got some good, quick moves inside the paint, so we’re excited about
our young kids.”
But Newberg will rely on its older players, including Jensen, to lead the
team.
“As she goes, we go,” she said of Jensen. “They’re going
to have to stop her because we’ll be running her off some screens looking to get her
some shots. She’s been working on her game in terms of getting the ball to the basket
and her defense has improved immensely. She’s going to be a key for us.”
The play of Schmitz and Winter will also be critical for the Tigers.
“We think it’s going to be very difficult to stop both of those
girls,” Funderhide said. “If you’re going to help on Holly, that’s
going to leave Vanessa open and if you’re going to help on Vanessa, that’s going
to leave Holly open.”
The team’s goal is the same as last season.
“They’re goal is to get back to the playoffs and you have to work
hard to do that and they’ve been doing that,” Funderhide said. “That’s
what they have in their sights, but it’s going to be a tough road. It’s a new
year and you have to focus on new things and improve on the things from last year, so
that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
The Tigers don’t have any juniors on the team, but Funderhide said the
future for the team looks bright.
“I think that the sophomores and the freshmen will be a spark for us and
I think that everybody we have will be contributors,” she said. “I don’t
think they’ll just be coming in to give somebody a break — I anticipate and
expect them to contribute right away.”
The Tigers have two aspects that all basketball teams crave — height and
quickness. But something the Tigers will look to do more than last season is to attack the
basket.
“I think this year we’ll be stronger getting the ball to the basket off
of dribble penetration, where last year we either tried to pound it inside, which
we’ll try to do this year, but we’ve got some kids who can get the ball to the
basket,” Funderhide said. “Last year, if (a team) took away our outside shot,
you were going to stop us. This year, you have to be able to stop us and take away the
outside shot because our kids have worked on that.”
Funderhide said her players have been lifting weights since the first of
September and hopes it will pay dividends down the road.
“I think it’s made them stronger and quicker and it’s made
them a little more confident in what they can do,” she said. “I think
that’s probably going to be one of our greatest strengths.”
With Newberg loaded at nearly every position, Funderhide said not winning a
league title would not be a disappointment because there are too many unknown variables
throughout the season.
“You have injuries come up and sometimes circumstances are out of your
control,” she said. “So our goal is the same goal that it was last year and that
was to stay together as a team through the difficult times and the good times from here on
out through March. If they can do that, I think success will come on its own.”
Getting to the second round of the sub-district tournament last season was
nice, Funderhide said. She said it was the payoff at the end of a season where the team
stuck together.
“Last year, the playoffs were great, but the most rewarding part of what they
got out of last year was the team unity all four months,” she said. “Typically,
teams hit highs and lows and peaks and valleys, but last year we didn’t hit that at
all and we had our moments where we’d lose two in a row but we came back. We stayed
together as a team and they’ve learned from that and that’s why we were
successful. If they can do that again this year, that’s all I can ask for.”
The loss to West Albany to end Newberg’s season is something the team
has talked about, Funderhide said.
“They want to get to that point and beyond again,” she said.
“They know what it takes to get there because they’ve done it. They know how
hard they have to work and how much focus they have to have. It doesn’t just happen
because it happened last year, so they’ve been working hard.”
Funderhide said the Tigers aren’t looking that far ahead, though. She
said the team is focused on daily goals.
“They’re looking at the small picture right now and that is the pregame
and then league and then the playoffs are way down there,” she said.
“There’s a lot of summits to reach before you get to that big one and that, I
think, is just the experience, just looking at the little picture and taking baby steps. I
think if they continue to do that, then I think they’ll like the results ... If we
lose sight of the team in front of us and the practice in front of us then I think
it’s going to be difficult to reach those goals and I think they realize that.”
Tigard, Tualatin and Forest Grove are expected to be the cream of the
conference, but Funderhide said anyone can win on any night in the conference.
“Nothing is a gimme’, that’s for sure and that’s
what’s cool about this league,” she said.
One thing the Tigers must strive for is consistency, Funderhide said. The
squad will have to avoid scoring droughts if it is going to be successful.
“My biggest concern is our consistency,” Funderhide said. “We
need to be consistent. We go in spurts right now and we’ve talked about that and
we’re focusing on that in practice. We’ll go for five minutes and not score but
then we can rattle off 10 points in one minute. That consistency is going to be key for
us.”
The Tigers kick their season off with a jamboree at Milwaukie High School
Dec. 1. Newberg’s first home game is Dec. 9 against McMinnville. |
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From Nov. 19,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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