There’s little question in Kathy Gibson’s mind — her 2010 Issaquah girls basketball squad is one determined group.
“The kids playing at the varsity level now, they’re hungry,” she said. “While we did well last year, and finished sixth in state, we got it handed to us in those (last two) games – the semifinal and the next one.”
Seven seniors return from that team, including Seattle Pacific University-bound forward Maddey Pflaumer and Idaho State-bound guard Blaire Brady.
“They’re both the captains and they’re doing a really great job of leading the team,” Gibson said. “They’re great girls with really neat personalities.”
Pflaumer averaged a team best 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, while Brady averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 assists and 6.2 rebounds.
Senior sharpshooter Mackenzie Schiltz is also back. The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 10.6 points in 2009 and led the team with 72 made three-point shots.
Other senior returners include guard Brooke Miller, guard Dayna Talley, guard Becky Rex and forward Morgan Young.
Sophomore guard Aimee Brakken and junior guard Taryn Holmes are also back in the lineup after earning significant varsity minutes last season.
Along with the returners, the Eagles get a couple of key additions.
Junior forward Sabrina Norton, the daughter of former NFL star Ken Norton, Jr., transfered in from Santa Monica, Calif., after her dad was hired by Pete Carroll as the Seattle Seahawks’ linebackers coach.
Norton, who stands at 5-10, isn’t the tallest player, but makes up for a lack of height with effort.
“She’s like the missing piece that we needed,” Gibson said. “She’s a rebounding machine and boy did we ever need that.”
Issaquah also gets back Ngozi Monu, a 5-foot-9 forward, who took last season off.
The Eagles have made the state tournament six of the last eight years — only missing the tournament in 2004 and 2008. With all the experience, Gibson likes the possibilities in 2010-2011.
“I think the girls have that confidence in each other, the belief in each other more so than in year’s past just because they’ve played together for so many years,” she said. “They know what it takes.”
Issaquah is 3-0 headed into this weekend’s Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Az. The Eagles are one of 87 teams competing in the tournament, which features some of the top teams in the nation from west of the Mississippi River.
