Girls basketball team playing for eighth league championship

-- Submitted by Yosemite High correspondent

(Updated: Friday, November 27, 2009, 11:19 AM)

tool goes here

Badgers working on 58-game league winning streak

The 2009-10 Yosemite High girls varsity basketball team is planning to get back on the "Road to the Selland Arena." The Badgers had gone to five straight Division III CIF Finals until last season when the journey was stopped in the D-II semi-finals by eventual champion Hanford.

Yosemite did win its seventh straight North Sequoia League championship and is currently on a 58-0 league winning streak. Yosemite girls basketball teams have been ranked in the top six in the entire CIF Central Section for the past six years. This is quite a feat when considering that few, if any, teams in any other sport in school history have enjoyed such a lofty overall ranking.

This season, even with a D-IV enrollment, Yosemite remains placed in D-II and will compete in the section playoffs against schools generally with twice the number of students. Yosemite may be the only public school in the state placed in a CIF division two levels higher than its enrollment.

It should be a good year according to head coach Gary Blate.

"This team will be taller, faster and have more shooting depth than teams of the past," he said.

This season the Badgers should be up to the task. The top four scorers return and are much improved. Point guard Jenay Herring, a 5-foot-6 senior, has been the starter at that position since she was a freshman.

Herring averaged a team high 16.3 points per game last season and has 838 points for her career, positioning her to be the next member of the 1,000 Point Club before league play begins in January.

"She is a much better shooter this season and has a much improved supporting cast so the season scoring and career assists records are in her sights," said Blate.

Another senior, 5-foot-7 Sienna Gonzales, should be an offensive force with her shooting range and ability to take the ball to the basket.

"Gonzales is a lefty and complements the fast break with her ability to run the left sideline," said Blate.

Senior Cassandra Slayton is only 5-foot-4 but she is expected to create havoc on the court with her hustle and attacks to the basket. The fourth senior is 5-foot-7 Jennifer Schoonard, who provides depth at both forward positions and should help out on the boards.

The most improved scorer for the Badgers will be 5-foot-10 junior Sydnee Fipps -- bad news for opponents as she averaged 16.1 points last season. With 657 career points, Fipps should also join the 1,000 Point Club this season.

"She led the team in rebounds last year with the second most number of rebounds in a season in school history," said Blate.

Amanda Rudd, a returning high scoring 5-foot-10 junior, led the team in three-point shots last season.

Another junior, 5-foot-9 Taylor Jensen, broke into the varsity lineup last season at the forward spot after starting the season on the JV team. Three other 5-foot-10 juniors will compete for the center position -- Ashley Ellis, Ashley Leforge and Brianna Smith, all first-time varsity players.

"The development of these three juniors in defending the post and keeping up with the fast break will be a key to a successful season," said Blate.

Three other 5-foot-5 juniors round out the squad. Alex Long and Jo Barney will see playing time at point guard and both have scoring ability while Devin Grant provides outside additional fire power.

The pre-league schedule will provide tough competition for the Badgers.

This Saturday, Yosemite will host a Scrimmage Carnival with seven other schools. The JV teams start at 9 a.m. and varsity at 1 p.m.

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, the team travels to Kingsburg with the JV game at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday later that week, the Badgers compete in the Central Valley Challenge at Clovis West. The team plays in three other tournaments in Fresno, Las Vegas and San Diego and non-league games at Edison, at Stockdale, the defending D-1 Champion, and at powerhouse J. Serra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano.

Local fans will have to wait until Jan. 15 to see the Badgers at home against Clovis East.