PREP GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW: New coach brings excitement to Bellingham
Coach: Mark Wright
Last year: Finished the year 4-16 with a 1-11 Northwest Conference record, which wasn’t good enough to qualify for playoffs. ... Lone conference win was a 15-pointer over Sedro-Woolley. ... Won two of three games at one point in non-conference play early in season.
Players to watch: Emily Benson (sr., G), Suzie Bennett (jr., P), Paige Jacobsen (sr., P), Autumn Jacobsen (so., P), Eliza Rossman (jr., G)
Outlook: New coach Mark Wright pledged to get girls excited about basketball at Bellingham High when he took the job and fielding three teams this season is a good start. The next step will be to start winning some games, but first they have to start believing. “I am trying to help them understand how good they can be,” coach Mark Wright said in a phone interview. “If you watched us walk into a gym, we look OK. We’ve got some long kids but those kids haven’t played at a high level so they don’t believe they can compete on a consistent basis.” Emily Benson (9.5 points per game) will operate the offense but, while there isn’t a dominant player on this team with post player Joelle Zamora graduting, the identity of this team will have to come in the key, Wright said. That means Paige and Autumn Jacobsen will be key.
Roster
No. | Player | Ht. | Yr. | Pos. |
2 | Kylie Clark | 5-6 | Sr. | G |
10 | Lindsey Richard | 5-6 | Jr. | G |
11 | Jacquie Estrada | 5-5 | Jr. | G |
12 | Suzie Bennett | 5-10 | Jr. | P |
13 | Yumin Buckley | 5-2 | Jr. | G |
14 | Eliza Rossman | 5-10 | Jr. | G |
15 | Emily Benson | 5-6 | Sr. | G |
20 | Shaina Autumn-Polin | 5-7 | Sr. | P |
22 | Tanisha Cook | 5-5 | Sr. | P |
30 | Paige Jacobsen | 5-8 | Sr. | P |
32 | Autumn Jacobsen | 5-8 | So. | P |
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Time |
Dec. 1 | at Squalicum | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 3 | at Sehome | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 7 | Nooksack Valley | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 9 | at Mount Baker | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 11 | Marysville-Pilchuck | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 14 | Lynden Christian* | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 16 | Australian traveling team | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 17 | Meridian* | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 19 | Marysville-Getchell | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 28 | TBD+ | TBD |
Dec. 29 | Cascade+ | 4 p.m. |
Jan. 5 | at Burlington-Edison* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 8 | at Squalicum* | 6 p.m. |
Jan. 12 | Anacortes* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 19 | at Blaine* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 22 | Ferndale* | 6 p.m. |
Jan. 25 | at Sedro-Woolley* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 29 | Mount Baker* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 2 | at Nooksack Valley* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 4 | at Lynden* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 9 | Sehome* | 7:15 p.m. |
*NWC game; +Crush in the Slush Tournament at Port Townsend
This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 9:41 PM with the headline "PREP GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW: New coach brings excitement to Bellingham."