A look at the Sweet Home girls basketball varsity roster brings one word to mind:“young.”
The Huskies are starting the 2024-25 season with three juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen on the floor.
Coach Erika Evans is optimistic that her team will see growth, noting that the young roster offers opportunities to establish solid foundations.
“There are several freshmen this season and that will only continue in the next few years,” she said.
Sweet Home plays in one of the toughest 4A leagues in the state.
Some challenges the Huskies face this year is a continuing one, playing in the always-tough Oregon West Conference, which has historically been one of the top 4A leagues in the state.
Evans is looking forward to matching up with some of these teams, looking to make significant improvements from last year.
“Our girls have put in more time in the off-season than most and are committed to fighting for each other and to make that show on the court,” she said. The team has shifted to a more play-based offense, focusing on timing and decision-making.
Evans hopes that with a mix of experienced players and promising freshmen, her team is eager to face challenges head-on. The Huskies’ goal is to “defy expectations and win games, doing so as One Family,” one of the core values emphasized at Sweet Home High School.
Evans said she wants to use basketball to teach the fundamentals of how what her players learn in the game can play into their lives off the court.
“We have a lot of great leadership qualities in our program this year and are very fortunate,” she said.
She emphasized that what the program instills into how her girls play on the court, with their success and failures, is practicing how they will handle them in life.
“We are creating better daughters, friends, spouses, and more,” she said.
Key players to watch for this year include returning junior Addy Vanice, whose IQ for the game and being able to use it during practice has “impressed” Evans.
Sophomore Brooke Elder returns at point guard, and Evans said she believes Elder is “on her way to becoming one of the best point guards in our league.”
Rounding out the roster are juniors Loralai Mark and Aubrey Newberry, sophomores Aaliyah Brown, Amara Gonzalez and Mailey Brewer, and freshmen Rylee Mabe, Kaylee Silacci, Taylor Gaskey and Paige Flansberg.
The junior varsity roster includes: junior Madison Sailors; sophomores Jayla Moore, Talitha Watkins and Khloe Wood, and freshmen Dymin Flowers, Emma Graber, Sarah Lewis, Adriana Morse and Dinah Watkins.
Evans is assisted on the bench by Mallory Hegge, Caytlin Gillespie and Leon Booker.
Off the court, Evans mentioned that the team is planning a spring fundraiser to support their attendance at summer camps and tournaments. She highlighted the importance of community support.
“These girls put in a ton of work that often goes unnoticed,” she said. “We’re committed to cultivating relationships and growth through basketball.”
The season started last week for the Huskies, as they opened with a 38-14 defeat at Elmira on Wednesday, Dec. 4, then fell 47-30 to Phoenix at home on Friday, Dec. 6.
“Our game wasn’t what we hoped for, but we have a lot to build on,” Evans said of the Elmira game. “Compared to last year’s matchup with Elmira, we’ve made leaps and bounds defensively.”
The intensity picked up in the fourth quarter, leading to key steals as the girls began to familiarize themselves with the work needed to move ahead.
Flansberg and Silacci scored in their varsity debuts. Newberry, known for her defensive grit, drew on her previous year’s skills and drew her first charge of the season.
“She had one almost every game last year,” Evans noted.
The Huskies kept the score close against seventh-ranked Phoenix through halftime, showing their grit and willingness to be competitive, but the Pirates pulled ahead in the second half.
Sweet Home hosts Douglas on Dec. 10, and then Cottage Grove on Dec. 13.