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It's a better game

This is the third in a series of articles previewing the high school winter sports season. Today: girls basketball.

by Rick Chandler

When Pam Wimberly began her coaching career oh those many years ago, watching a girls' high school basketball game was like sitting through a special on the Discovery Channel. The game was prehistoric - with a lot of lumbering around, not much speed, and with the main characters seemingly destined for extinction.

Well, scratch all that. Girls' basketball has evolved, thanks to coaches like Wimberly, to the point where it now can be just as enjoyable to watch as a boys' game. Maybe even more so.

"It is indeed a different game than in the past," said Wimberly, who this season celebrated her 500th career coaching victory at Menlo-Atherton - in her 32nd year as a coach.

"Girls are coming in with more skills, they're starting younger, and the game is much faster. Girls are now looking to get to the next level in basketball, looking for college scholarships. We've come a long way."

Wimberly is a true girls' basketball pioneer, having begun her coaching career in 1969 - when the game in California was still played with six players per team, and averaged about six spectators per home game.

Now the girls are as exciting to watch as the boys - and that's true in most Bay Area high schools. It has evolved from its plodding, somewhat unskilled roots (the shot clock was invented to make sure girls' teams shot the ball occasionally) to a highly skilled counterpart to boy's basketball. Outstanding girls teams at Pinewood in Los Altos, Palo Alto, Gunn, M-A, Menlo School and Sacred Heart Prep have Peninsula sports fans talking girls hoops more than ever this year.

"The girls' game has improved so much over 20 years ago," said Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler, himself a 25-year basketball coaching veteran. "Back when I started (coaching boys' teams), I would look over on the other side of the gym at the girls' practice, and wonder 'What the heck are they doing? That sure doesn't resemble basketball.' "

"Well, it does now. Girls' basketball today is more of an all-court game. Skills are being taught at a younger age, and they make a conscious effort to develop those skills. They're more coachable than the guys. And with the exception of jumping ability and speed, they can do everything the guys can do."

Scheppler should know. He coaches probably the best girls guard on the Peninsula in Sarah Feely - a senior who averages 10 points and seven assists per game and is set to play for University of the Pacific next season.

He also happens to be the father of one of the better players the Peninsula has produced - Pinewood's Kacey Scheppler, who graduated in 1998.

Scheppler coached boys' basketball for 17 years before moving over to coach the girls - a decision he has never regretted.

"Girls' basketball is the greatest job in coaching," he said. "They want to succeed, they're passionate about the game, and they make a conscious effort to develop their skills. Girls are better athletes than they used to be."

One of the reasons that the girls' game has risen is that girls are now interested in weight training and summer leagues, according to Wimberly.

"Now there are a lot of AAU camps for girls and things like that," she said. "Girls are starting to play all year round, not just during basketball season. And they're starting younger - you see a lot of young girls at games. It's a trend that I see continuing.

"We've come a long way since those days of six players per team," she said. "If you haven't seen the girls play, you should check it out. You might be surprised."

How will events shake out in Peninsula prep girls' basketball this season? As mentioned above, Pinewood will be tough - if not impossible - to beat in the Private Schools Athletic League, led by Feely and junior forward Katy Digovich. In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Palo Alto should make large waves - the Vikings are 12-2 after winning their league opener. As always, Sacred Heart Prep (9-3) will shoot for a Girls Private Schools League title.

Pinewood, by the way, visits Palo Alto in a big nonleague showdown on Saturday at 7 p.m.

This is how the local teams look:
Pinewood

Feely is the catalyst, a fourth-year starter whom Scheppler expects to lead the team to great things - beginning with another PSAL title. But Pinewood fans have come to expect more than that - the school has won three straight CCS titles, including a Division II crown last year (Pinewood had moved up last year from Div. V).

"We're playing well now after kind of a slow start," said Scheppler, whose team is 8-2, including wins over Menlo-Atherton (8-4), Soquel (10-1), Mitty (9-3) and Santa Clara (11-1). "I knew we'd be good, but 8-2 is kind of surprising, considering our tough schedule."

Pinewood won both the Mitty New Year's Classic and the St. Ignatius tournament last month. It then went 1-2 in a big national tournament in Arizona. Pinewood beat Mitty, 53-45, to capture the Mitty tournament for the second straight year. Defense proved the difference for the Panthers, who allowed just 34.7 points per game in their four tournament victories.

Digovich, a 5-foot-11 center, is the team's leading scorer with a 15-point average. Pinewood also starts senior forward Darcy Nelson and junior guards Yasemin Kimyacioglu and Kiely Schork.

But one of Pinewood's great strengths is its depth. Adding punch off the bench are Marte Morin, a 5-foot-10 senior who plays both post and guard positions, and Stacie Roshon, a junior guard who has a great shooting touch and was the team's sixth person last season.

Junior shooting guard Lizzy Evans is also back after ACL surgery this past summer. She had 11 three-pointers in the Mitty New Year's Classic. Freshman point guard Daniela Roark and sophomore wing Liz Ashby have also been solid.

"We have very capable people on the bench," Scheppler said. "If gives us a lot of balance, and allows us to play a fullcourt pressure style. It should be a fun season."
Palo Alto

Another great reason to watch Peninsula girls' basketball resides in Palo Alto - Vikings' senior point guard Jenna Lippe-Klein. Paly is off to an 12-2 start, including the championship of the Mills Tournament, in which Klein averaged 17 points. She's averaging 10 overall this season.

"Our scoring actually has been pretty even," said coach Amy Stock, who is in her first season with the Paly varsity. "We're playing pretty well," she said. "The defense is improving, and we've been working a lot on that."

Paly hopes to play David to St. Francis' Goliath this season in the De Anza Division. The Vikings opened league play Wednesday night with a 49-41 win over host Homestead.

Starting alongside Lippe-Klein are junior guards Kristen Jensen and Megan Martin, sophomore forward Sara Schulte and senior post player Kaitlin Nelson. Schulte led the Vikings against Homestead with 12 points.

Bri Held, and All-SCVAL guard last season, is coming off a knee injury suffered in June and should be ready to make a major contribution. Others expected to play key roles are junior forward Lela Gradman and sophomore guard Jossie Tseng.
Menlo-Atherton

One has to pay attention when attending a Menlo-Atherton game, as coach Pam Wimberly usually shuttles in an array of players to keep opponents - and sometimes spectators - off balance.

The Bears are off to another whirlwind start at 8-4, and the defending PAL Bay Division champions should contend again. The Bears have eight seniors - seven of them in their fourth season on the varsity.

"We have a rotating lineup, and a lot of people contribute," said Wimberly, who won her first league title in her first year of coaching, in 1969. "We've beaten a couple of quality teams, and our losses have been to very good teams (among them Pinewood)."

Junior guard Shayna Smith has been the catalyst so far, averaging 20 points per game and providing valuable leadership. Senior Alexis Brash shares the point guard duties with Smith. The forwards include Jenny Fisher (5-6 senior), Julia Spiegel (5-9 senior) and Nadia Barhoum (5-8 junior), the latter who suffered an ankle injury against Notre Dame-Belmont on Dec. 15, and has only recently returned to action.

Adrian Perkins (5-9 senior) usually plays the post, and Ariane Cornell (5-6 senior) will get a lot of playing time at the 3, or shooting forward, position. Cornell, who had ankle surgery in September, has just been cleared to play.

"I've been happy with the way Fisher has been willing to put the ball up and be consistent with her shooting," Wimberly said. "She's averaging about 10 points per game for us, and that's been a big plus." Sacred Heart Prep

Gone are Diana Livermore and Catherine Holman, the talented duo which led the Gators to a CCS Division IV title last season and a run to the NorCal semifinals, where Sacred Heart lost to Marin Catholic. Holman is now playing at Cal State Fullerton, and Livermore is playing water polo at Brown University.

Sacred Heart also lost Haley Woods, a senior who transferred to Burlingame (she has a scholarship to play softball at Cal).

But the current Gators aren't complaining. They look strong, led by four returning seniors - guards Melissa Bayol and Allison Riechert and forwards Kristin Pene and Elizabeth Bagnetti. Pene, one of Sacred Heart's best shooters, missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Sacred Heart got off to an 8-1 start, and is currently 9-3. That includes a small schools' championship in the Santa Barbara TOC last month, and a seventh-place finish in the West Bay Classic in Antioch, Emerald Division. Bayol had a career-high 25 points in a 45-40 win over Bear River in that latter tournament.

"We finished second in the GPSL last season, the first time we haven't won it in four years," said coach Lamont Quattlebaum, who is also coaching the Sacred Heart boys team this season. "So that's a big goal, to get that title back."

Also playing key roles for the Gators will be junior guards Megan LaRue and Sarah Laird and junior forward Onetta Harris. Freshman guard Emma Hoffacher "has played really well, especially defensively," according to Quattlebaum. Menlo School

The Knights have a core of juniors, and have only one senior - point guard Laura Robinson. But that one senior is good. Robinson made the all-tournament team at the Santa Barbara tournament last month, where Menlo finished 2-2, sixth overall in a 16-team bracket. The Knights are 7-6 overall so far.

The juniors who should see a lot of playing time are Kathryn Pade, Courtney Rose, Kristen Olsen, Marissa Kraines, Jackie Schoof and Megan Becht - the latter who is just coming back off of a broken wrist suffered in the Santa Barbara tournament.

"Courtney Rose has been our biggest surprise," said coach Ashley Hill. "She plays great defense and has been scoring well. She just came in recently from volleyball, and hasn't missed a beat."

Menlo begins GPSL play Tuesday at defending league champion Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.
Gunn

Coach Sebastian Poitier is in the midst of a rebuilding project at Gunn - he moved up from the junior varsity to become the varsity coach midway through last season, winning five of the Titans' last six games.

"Gunn basketball will turn around," he said. "My goal right now is to keep the nucleus together, and start a summer program. Girls here have traditionally only played during basketball season, and I want to change that. We're off to a good start to building something good here."

Gunn is led by four seniors -- center Ninji Martin and guards Jennifer Rea, Megan Coe and Tiffany Wang. Martin, Coe and Wang are returning starters. Two other returnees are juniors Natasha Gude and Kristi-Anne Merilo.

Freshmen Jill Klausner and Jessica Perricone should get plenty of playing time at the 1 and 2 guard positions, respectively. And 6-foot-4 junior center Michelle Rybka, in only her second year of organized basketball, should work in nicely.

Others who should see playing time are junior Chelsea Taylor and sophomores Claire Cruz, Amanda Britton and Kaja Martin (Ninji's sister).

"Right now we're at the point where we're playing to the other team's level," Poitier said, "and I want to get us away from that and be consistent. We're capable of playing well, and this league is going to be a learning experience."

Gunn (0-1, 2-5) opened SCVAL De Anza Division play Wednesday with a 44-20 loss at Los Gatos.
Eastside Prep

Eastside Prep may be the tiniest school in the area, but they're producing big results.

"We're definitely a small school, but we haven't lost a league game in two years, and I think we have another pretty good team," said coach Gretchen Seeley. Indeed, Eastside - from East Palo Alto - is led by a talented junior point guard, Markisha Coleman.

"Markisha is our leading scorer, and she's doing a dynamite job," said Seeley, whose team is 7-7 overall. Eastside plays in the Christian Private Schools Athletic League.

Eastside recently won the consolation title in the Silver Creek Classic in San Jose, where sophomore guard Chantelle Brown leading the way with 17 points in a 67-26 win over Pioneer. Coleman had 16 points in that game.

The other starters are Roxane Due (senior guard), Lakia Armstrong (junior guard) and Sharissa McDaniel (freshman forward).

"We're a pretty quick team, and we like to run," Seeley said. "We're small, so we have to open things up. But that's a fun way to play."
Castilleja

According to coach Jez McIntosh, Castilleja is fighting for respect - not only in the PSAL, but also on its own campus.

"The fall sports have always been big here, but the basketball team hasn't been to the CCS playoffs in four or five years," he said. "We get no respect on our campus, and the girls are fighting to change that. We're much better than last year (8-17 record last season), and I think we have a chance to make some people take notice. People may be in for a big surprise."

The big difference is at point guard, where a freshman has arrived to lead the team. Mika Peterman is one of two freshmen on the Castilleja roster (Nikki Perlman is the other), and she's already made a big impact.

"It makes a big difference to have a true point guard," McIntosh said.

Also starting are returning junior center Karen Ring, senior returning guards Desiree Cleveland and Kari Barber, and sophomore forward Logan McClure. Ring led the team in scoring as a freshman and sophomore.

Castilleja is 4-4 overall.
Woodside Priory

Every day is a learning experience for coach Jon Ratshin and his troops. Woodside Priory has no JV team, so every able-bodied basketball player is on the varsity - including seven freshmen and two sophomores on a 12-person roster.

But Ratshin hopes to mold the youngsters into a capable team - at least a much better one than last season's squad that finished 1-12 in the PSAL, and 3-15 overall.

Leading the way will be junior point guard Mandy Hafleigh and freshman shooting forward Laura Trudelle. The other starters are senior off guard Angela Sibal, sophomore forward Steffy Wegman and freshman center Lissy Powell.

Laura Brent, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, underwent knee surgery recently and is scheduled to return in about a week. She will start at the pivot when at full strength. Also seeing plenty of playing time will be freshman forward Sarah Kruberg.

"Realistically we're hoping for two or three league wins, and other than that we just want to compete and play hard," Ratshin said. "We're in a league with Pinewood and Castilleja, and with these young players it's going to be rough. But they're great kids and it should also be fun."