Husky girls on the prowl

Husky head coach Steve Kaseberg is feeling pretty good that the group of athletes he has on the roster can break that string and contend for some hardware down the line.

“It has been a monkey on our backs for the last five years,” Kaseberg said. “It seems like we get a good draw and we are on our way, but for whatever reason, whether a lack of focus, a lack of preparation or a lack of execution, we haven’t been able to get out of district. I think with the leadership we have here, we should be a district team and a post-district team.”

Led by the senior group of Meagan McKinney and the post trio of Janet Guzman, Katie Asher and Makenzie Blaylock, Kaseberg is looking for this squad to improve on the 14 wins and No. 2 district seed it accomplished last year.

“You’ve got to give credit to the football team. They had a great run and a great season,” the sixth-year coach said. “The community really supported the football team and I think our kids saw that. They want the same type of support for their program, so I think it has helped us get off to a good start.”

Last Saturday, Blaylock, Guzman and Asher combined for 25 points, as the Huskies scored an impressive 44-27 win over 4A Mac-Hi in a non-league contest.

So things look to be trending on the right track.

The seniors have built the foundation, but Kaseberg notes that a younger group of players like Emily Hill, Kirsten Casper, Brianna McKinney and Brittney Orendorff have the skill set to fight for added playing time.

In their 14 wins last season, the Huskies were able to score 44.9 points a game, scoring 48 or more points six times for a 6-0 record.

But, that was with graduated seniors Andie Harrison and Katie Poirier leading the way for the most part.

This year, Kaseberg said he will not rely solely on the contributions of just one player.

From top-to-bottom, he expects balance.

“It is going to be a full-team effort,” Kaseberg said. “I like the mix with the seniors and the young kids we have coming up. I think you are going to see balanced scoring, you will not see someone taking all the shots. I think that is what it will take to win, balanced scoring and great team defense coming together.”

Defensively, the Huskies allowed 38.4 points a game and used pressure defense to set the tone.

When not pressuring the ball, Kaseberg likes to drop his players back into a matchup man-to-man scheme.

On 11 occasions last year, the Sherman defense held teams to less than 36 points in a game. In two games against league opponent, Dufur the Huskies allowed an average of just 38.5 points.

In league play is where Sherman will cut its teeth because there are a handful of 1A teams that can play at an elite level on a nightly basis.

No game will be easy and Kaseberg knows his group will need to be prepared mentally and physically for an intense battle.

Once the dust settles, the four teams that win the most extend their season.

Kaseberg is hopeful that Sherman could be one of those select few.

“It will take us playing together and our strong leadership to make it all work,” Kaseberg said. “If we do that, the sky is the limit. This is a good crew. We got great balance, we’ve got great athletes and it is up to them to go out and execute it. They have to play their hardest game-in and game-out and every day in practice to make the postseason possible.”

Sherman (1-0 overall) is at the Weston-McEwen Tournament this weekend.

After that, they host Lyle-Wishram, Wash. at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16 in Moro.