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Newberg's youth wrestlers get their chance to take the mat
New era
starts for Newberg wrestling program
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A year older, Tigers seek postseason bid |
By B. Scott
Anderson, Newberg Graphic reporter
E-mail Scott at banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
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A little
wiser, a little more experienced, the Newberg High School girls
basketball team could have one of its best seasons in years this
season.
The Tigers went 6-10 in the Pac-9 Conference and 8-16 overall
in the 2004-2005 season. But they didn’t lose any player to
graduation. Junior post Sara Zahler (14.2 points per game, 9.5
rebounds per game) was a second team Pac-9 Conference pick, senior
guard Jessica Parrish (11 ppg) was a third team selection and junior
point guard Nikki Turnidge (4.1 assists per game) was an honorable
mention pick.
“I’m expecting good things this year because I thought last year
was a successful season at 6-10 with our youth,” said Newberg coach
Marianne Funderhide. “I just want to build on that.”
Funderhide, in her eighth year at the helm of the Tigers, said even
though the Tigers are young and inexperienced at the varsity level,
the team’s basketball IQ is above average.
“Once we break things down for them and do some drill work, then
they can put that concept in a game situation,” she said. “We also
have some speed and quickness, which we had last year. Also, our
defense was really important and it helped us keep games close.”
Funderhide said she expects Newberg will amass a better conference
record than last season. The Tigers nearly made the playoffs, but an
overtime home loss to Silverton, a seven-point loss at Silverton and
a one-point loss to McMinnville kept the Tigers from advancing.
“Obviously we’re shooting to make the playoffs because every team
is and that’s what it’s all about,” Funderhide said. “I think if
things click for us, it’s a very realistic goal for us. If we
continue to get better in practice and make adjustments as we’re
playing games, we’ll be fine because we’re a smart group.”
Zahler will be one of the major driving forces for the Tigers this
season. She’s 5-foot-8 and primarily guards the opposing team’s best
post player, but is also quick enough to guard the opposition’s
guards. She can shoot from the outside and has a knack for rebounds
and being in the right place at the right time.
“Teams are going to have to focus on her,” Funderhide said. “She’s
going to be on other teams’ scouting reports, but people will have
to focus on stopping her and that will open up other people.”
While Zahler will control the paint and step out and hit periodic
jumpers, Parrish will be a guard who helps run the offense and
provides senior leadership, Funderhide said.
“She’s seeing the floor and passing really well,” she said. “Her
passing has improved and I think that started this summer. She’s
more comfortable with the ball and when we get the ball in her hand,
she’s a scoring threat and she can find the open person. That’s
advantageous because we want to keep our turnovers low.”
Funderhide said that if Zahler or Parrish have off-shooting nights
or are relegated to the bench in foul trouble, the Tigers have other
scoring weapons, such as Turnidge, junior guard Michelle Hildreth
and junior post Danielle Day.
“We’ve got other people that teams will have to focus on,”
Funderhide said. “We’re, by no means, one-dimensional. I think that
will make us stronger this year. I think people have some confidence
and our scoring will be pretty balanced, along with our assists and
all of that.”
One of the biggest improvements Funderhide said she has seen is by
Turnidge, who worked continually during the off season on her
shooting.
“(Turnidge) is much more of a scoring threat this year than she was
last year,” Funderhide said. “She’s playing with that kind of
confidence.”
Turnidge will battle for time with point guard Benedetta Abbruzzese,
an exchange student from Italy.
“She’s pretty solid,” Funderhide said. “(Turnidge) brings a lot of
different things on both ends of the court and (Abbruzzese) just
needs to learn the system. But she’s great off the dribble and
that’s her strength. She can take it strong to the basket and either
finish it or kick it out to an open person.”
One of the downfalls of the Tigers is that they aren’t as tall as
some of Funderhide’s past teams. Senior Melinda Lee, at 5-foot-9, is
the tallest player on the Newberg roster.
“She’s just going to have to guard some people who are bigger than
her,” Funderhide said. “She’s going to have be really physical and
keep people off the boards and we’re going to need her to get
offensive rebounds.”
The Tigers will look to push the ball up the court quickly this
season and utilize their speed. On most nights, Funderhide figures
she could use as many as five players off the bench.
“There’s a lot of potential here,” Funderhide said. “I’m excited
for the season, but you just never know what’s going to happen. What
I know I can count on as a coach is them being ready to play every
night, whether we’re practicing or whether we’re in a game. They’re
going to be ready to play and they’re going to play tough defense. I
think they’re excited about the season and I think there’s going to
be some good things happening.” |
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From
Nov. 19, 2005, Newberg Graphic
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