Winter Sports Preview: Sequim High Girls Basketball

Head coach: Justine Wagner (first year)

2014-2015 record: 5-7 in Olympic League, 10-13 overall, 1-2 in districts.

Returning players: McKenzie Bentz (sr.), Ella Christiansen (jr.), Adrienne Haggerty (jr.), Jordan McMinn (jr.), Jordan Miller (sr.), Allysen Montelius (sr.)

Newcomers: Jordan Bentz (jr.), Erica Bower (jr.), Alisha Grasser (so.), Carissa Leal (jr.)

The Lady Wolves are looking for some grit this season.

With only a few post players and a lot of speedy guards, head coach Justine Wagner said her mantra this season is to look for fast breaks and make sure everyone on the floor can play any position.

“The girls have a wide variety of skill sets,” she said. “I want the guards to post-up and the post players to be able to handle the ball so that they are interchangeable at any spot.”

Six varsity players return from a squad last year that achieved some milestones that had been looming for years. The Wolves won their first game at districts since the 2007-2008 season and overcame a 17-game losing streak against Port Angeles. Senior Jordan Miller, then a junior, hit a 3-pointer in the waning seconds at home on Jan. 9, to help give the Wolves their first win against the Roughriders since 2007.

One of three all-league players, Adrienne Haggerty, returns from last season, too.

She said that even though they lost some strong players to graduation Sequim remains one of the more skilled teams in the Olympic League.

“We have a lot more returners and a lot of teams lost crucial seniors,” Haggerty said. “Our team should stand out.”

Wagner said with a grittier approach to the game for the girls, she’s simplified the offense by limiting the number of plays they’ll run.

“Last year, we ran a wide variety and Evan (Still) was very creative and made a lot of plays that can be very successful,” she said. “My philosophy is simplicity and basically grit.”

Haggerty said she sees the new mindset working well because everyone is quick.

“When it comes to fast breaks any of us can take it up the floor,” she said.

“There’s a lot of pressure on me and Ella (Christiansen) for being the tallest players and to get rebounds and playing a crucial role on defense.”

But they also are outside threats, too. “If we’re not able to shoot down low, we can also shoot mid-range,” Haggerty said. “It’s nice to have that diversity.”

Wagner doesn’t expect her post players to put the defense on their shoulders though.

“We need our guards to be stronger and faster and take better care of the ball and fight for every loose ball,” she said. “The bigs we need to battle down low to get some points and stops down there, too.”

One consistent plague for the girls has been turnovers. However, Wagner starts every practice with 15 minutes of ball handling to stymie that problem while establishing better communication among teammates.

Looking to lead many of the fast breaks and the team are three seniors, Miller, McKenzie Bentz and Allysen Montelius.

Miller said she sees a lot of potential with the Wolves this year.

“We all work together well and like each other and we’re really positive,” she said.

In the offseason, Miller said she worked on defense a lot and when she’s on the floor she’s going to be ready to shoot, too.

“I want to help make better passes and be a smarter team player,” she said.

As for leading, Miller said it’s fun to help the underclassmen learn more about the game while sharing that feeling of wanting to win. But how far will the Wolves go through this season?

“As a senior, I obviously want to go as far as we can,” Miller said. “As a team, we know we worked hard. I’m happy with that and I know I had a good experience with my high school career, however it goes.”

The Wolves open their season in Klahowya on Friday, Dec. 4, and host Crosspoint Academy on Monday, Dec. 7.