TD girls look to build off top year

Conduting the tryouts are coaches Ryan LeBreton and Stephen Stewart.

The program’s long-term goal is to increase the fundamentals of the game of basketball with some travel games in the Portland area and beyond.

The team will travel for five weekends between November through February for doubleheaders.

There are no overnight tournaments planned.

Cost to participate in the academy is $120 and will only be paid if an athlete is selected.

At the tryout, attendees are responsible to bring basketball shoes, have their hair in a pony tail and a water bottle.

LeBreton said the team is looking at a multiple set of skills, ranging from dribbling and ball handling, to passing, shooting form, speed and quickness, and an overall understanding of the game of basketball.

Le Breton plans to carry 10-12 kids for the fifth and sixth grade team.

Fourth graders are welcomed, but they will be competing against an older group.

Like the CGBA facebook page for more information, or call LeBreton at 541-980-9889.

In Saturday’s 6-0 state-play-in loss to No. 6 Hillsboro, first-year head coach Oscar Nunez caught a glimpse of the future, as 12 of the 18 players on the final roster were either freshmen or sophomore athletes getting their first taste of postseason play.

Nunez walked away impressed, wanting to fast forward the calendar to next fall already.

“I feel like the biggest accomplishment is that my girls are excited about playing soccer again,” Nunez said. “They are talking about what they are going to do in the offseason to get better and they are talking about next year already. It’s good to see that they enjoyed soccer and have found their love for the game.”

At the start of camp, Nunez wanted to bring in an exciting brand of attacking soccer, especially with the speed his players had on the front lines.

The Dalles won five games, two in league and finished in third place to earn a state play-in qualification.

The Riverhawks nearly doubled their scoring output, rising from 20 goals scored last season to 35 this year, including 16 in their first two games of the season, both wins.

TD lost 10 matches overall, three coming by three goals or less.

Down the stretch, however, the Hawks ended the 2016 campaign with four losses in their final five contests.

Nunez loses a bulk of senior leadership with the departure of Ivorie Taylor, Shaynie Watson, Abby Williams, Giselle Manzo and Brook McCall, so making up the scoring skill of Manzo and McCall, and the defensive prowess of Taylor, Williams and Watson are going to be focal points by the start of the 2017 season.

“I’m very excited for next season,” Nunez said. “I feel like we will have two great leaders in our two returning juniors Alexia Tapia and Emma Weir.”

In addition to Tapia and Weir, there is a wealth of talent among the sophomore class with the likes of Molly Taylor, Victoria Barragan, Addison Klindt, Jordyn Hattenhauer, Ari Andrade, Ella Salvatori, Michaela Haight, Shyanne Cady and Teddie Pitt.

Nunez said that the returning freshmen trio of Jenna Miller, Lily Eby and Madison Eby bring a lot of mental toughness and hard work to the team and that is a good trend to set as up-and-coming varsity contributors, who will display improvements as they get older and gain more experience.

As he turns his attention to next year, Nunez is prioritizing improving on the fundamentals of the game and some extra time playing indoor soccer and working on skills at home.

Those elements will be critical to develop, especially with solid teams like Hermiston, Hood River Valley and Pendleton lurking in the shadows of the Columbia River Conference.

“We will continue to build this program to be a team that possesses the ball, communicates,” Nunez said. “We look to improve our games won and solidify our defense with some new players stepping up the last game of this season, who will bring a lot of speed to our backline.”