PREP GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Matured Kooiman facilitator of Lynden squad
Coach: Rob Adams
Last year: Finished with 18-9 record and a 9-3 Northwest Conference finish. ... Qualified for the district tournament as the NWC’s No. 2 seed before rattling off three straight wins to win the district title. ... Went 2-2 at state to finish sixth place in Class 2A.
Players to watch: Elisa Kooiman (jr., F), Jasmyne Neria (jr., G), Lauren Zwiers (jr., G), Natalie Amos (so., F)
Outlook: Lynden is fresh off a sixth-place trophy at the Class 2A State Tournament, won its second district title in a row and returns 10 of its 12 players from last year’s team, including the NWC’s third leading scorer, Elisa Kooiman. All those things mean the Lions have lofty expectations for this season, but they’re doing their best not to focus on those. “We have to find a way to block out the noise,” coach Rob Adams said in a phone interview. “Everybody can talk about the what-ifs or what you can do but we’re trying to keep a singular focus on getting better every day.” The expectations, though, come because of great talent and the Lions are loaded. Kooiman has a chance to develop into the league’s best player and will be counted on to facilitate the offense this year with Mandy Warner and Kaitlyn Mark gone. If she gets everyone involved, the Lions only get better, Adams said.
Roster
No. | Player | Yr. | Pos. |
3 | Lauren Zwiers | Jr. | G |
4 | Morgan Black | Sr. | G |
5 | Jasmyne Neria | Jr. | G |
10 | Mariah Gonzalez | Jr. | G |
11 | Ali VanZanten | Fr. | G |
12 | Sierra Smith | So. | G |
14 | Olivia Bonsen | Sr. | G |
20 | Heidi Lankhaar | Jr. | G |
22 | Elisa Kooiman | Jr. | G |
23 | Kyla Bonsen | Fr. | G |
25 | Emily Holt | Sr. | G |
33 | Natalie Amos | So. | G |
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Time |
Dec. 1 | Charles Best | 7 p.m. |
Dec. 4 | at Sedro-Woolley | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 7 | Anacortes | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 10 | Ferndale | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 15 | Nooksack Valley* | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 18 | Everett | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 19 | at Centralia | 5:30 p.m. |
Dec. 22 | at Friday Harbor | 5:45 p.m. |
Dec. 29 | Chehalis W.F. West | 6 p.m. |
Jan. 5 | at Anacortes* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 8 | Meridian* | 6 p.m. |
Jan. 11 | Blaine* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 15 | Sedro-Woolley* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 19 | at Mount Baker* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 22 | at Lynden Christian* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 26 | Burlington-Edison* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 29 | at Ferndale* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 1 | at Sehome* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 4 | Bellingham* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 9 | Squalicum* | 7:15 p.m. |
*NWC game
This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 9:45 PM with the headline "PREP GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Matured Kooiman facilitator of Lynden squad."