Wasilla ready to rebound

WASILLA — After winning consecutive 4A titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Wasilla High girls basketball team, which featured only two seniors, missed the state tournament last year for the first time since 1999. The Warriors are young again this season, but Wasilla sports a roster that has Warrior faithful excited about the future.

“We’re pretty young and raw right now,” Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax said recently.

Wasilla is once again heavy on underclassmen, with five freshmen and six sophomores currently on the roster. There are only four upperclassmen, with two juniors and two seniors on the squad. The Warriors are young, but are diverse in attributes.

“We’ve got some height, some speed, some smarts,” Hebert-Truax said. “We’ve got to work on getting better. The group I have has to work to mesh. They all haven’t played together before.”

Hebert-Truax said putting the pieces of the puzzle together is the task every year. But this year, the WHS coaching staff has a lot of pieces to work with. The longtime head coach of the Warriors said this squad may feature the most depth Wasilla has had in recent memory.

“We’ve definitely got a lot of depth,” Hebert-Truax said. “If one person can’t do it, there’s someone who’s going to fill their spot.”

That competition, Hebert-Truax said, should provide motivation, and could ultimately make Wasilla a better team.

Guard Machia Toews and forward Cassidy Edwards are the senior veterans on the squad. Hebert-Truax said both seniors will be looked to for their leadership and experience.

“They’ve been in the program for four years. They have the experience, know what I like,” Hebert-Truax said. “They were freshmen and sophomores on two state title teams. They bring that experience, and knows what it takes to get there.”

The junior class includes returner Kellie Lindeman and Leya DePriest, a 6-foot-3 forward who spent her first two years of high school at Palmer. DePriest was named first-team All-Northern Lights Conference last season as a sophomore for the Moose.

Forward McKenna Dinkel, who was named second-team all-conference as a freshman, is one of a number of Wasilla sophomores who already has varsity experience.

That group also includes guards Kaylyn Kelly, Natalia Heath and Catherine Baham.

The freshman class includes guard Azlynn Brandenburg, who started the first three games of her high school career. Freshman guard Taylor Anderson was among team leaders, scoring nine points, during a 51-42 win over Grace Christian last Saturday.

The Wasilla High boys basketball team is in search of its first state tournament berth since 2012. The Warriors have spent an early chunk of the season playing opponents of state championship caliber.

The Warriors have already played three teams that played for either a 3A or 4A state title last season (Service, West Anchorage and Grace Christian). The Warriors opened their season with a win over West Anchorage, the 2014 4A state runner-up, and were within reach of knocking off defending champ Service in the Doc Larson Roundball Classic at Wasilla High. Wasilla also has wins over ACS (third in 3A last year) and West Valley (fourth in 4A last season).

Senior Alex Baham is among the leaders for the 2014-15 Wasilla squad. Baham, who scored 31 points during the win over ACS last Thursday, is among a group of guards expected to lead Wasilla.

“We’re actually bigger in the guard spot than we are in the post,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said recently.

That position also includes sophomore Isaac Houck. Both Baham and Houck are 6-3, and each has had a double-double, with points and rebounds, this season.

Engebretsen said he’s also excited about the pieces Wasilla has in place around Baham and Houck. Engebretsen praised sophomore point guard Koby Burns, noting Burns’ really high basketball IQ.

The Warriors also have senior Zach Garnett, known for his hustle on the floor.

“He really gets after it, competes with the best of them,” Engebretsen said.

Freshman forward Reilly Devine, younger brother of past Alaska Player of the Year Connor Devine, has earned valuable minutes early in the season. Wasilla also has Ryen Milleron, a newcomer, in the guard position.

The Warriors will also receive a boost in February with the return of guard Cameron Brown, who was named first-team all-conference last year. Brown has been out with injury.

** Editor’s note: This is the third piece of a four-part series previewing the seasons of the Valley’s 3A and 4A prep basketball teams. For stories about the Palmer Moose and Houston Hawks, see frontiesman.com/sports. For a feature about the Colony Knights, see an upcoming edition of the Frontiersman.