Story Photos
 Holly Weston, left, and Kasey Kraft, right, chase a rebound during practice. Bill Wagner / The Daily News
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LCC Preview: Improving defense a priority for young Lady Devils
Thursday, December 11, 2008 2:17 PM PST
By Rick McCorkle
Printable version
E-mail this articleWith a half-dozen freshmen on this season’s Lower Columbia College women’s basketball roster, it’s expected that the Lady Devils will experience some preseason growing pains as they head into the league campaign.
But second-year LCC coach Chad Meadors isn’t very patient, and wants his players to quickly learn the faster-paced college game than most of them were accustomed to in high school.
“We’re progressing, but not as fast as I’d like,” Meadors said. “There’s no doubt we’re getting better, but we’re trying to not just get better. We want to win, but it’s not happening fast enough. We’re holding the players to higher expectations and we expect them to meet those.”
Last year’s Lady Devils were among the top defensive teams in the NWAACC, allowing 51 points per game. The same can’t be said for this year’s squad, which has allowed an average of 74 points in five games, including 85 to third-ranked Clackamas, and 86 to second-ranked Yakima Valley.
“Giving up 85 and 86 points in two games makes my stomach hurt,” the defensive-minded Meadors said. “It’s all about discipline and understanding how a defensive scheme works, and executing it. We’ve had a lot of defensive breakdowns each time down the floor.”
Meadors noted that it’s unfair to compare last year’s team to his current crop of Lady Devils.
“Last year’s team had a lot of sophomores who were exposed to college basketball and the speed of the game,” he said. “This year’s team is head and shoulders above that team talent-wise, but they aren’t working to the point of last year’s team. The current team has had to not only adjust to playing college basketball, but they’ve had to adjust to my coaching style.”
The Lady Devils have made nearly half of their shots this season (112-of-227) while winning two of five games.
“I don’t think we’ve shot the ball that well, but we have a lot of good shooters,” Meadors said. “We scored 73 points against Clackamas and had an off-night (30-of-72, 41 percent). If we shot the ball well, we’d score 100 points on any given night. We’re moving the ball a lot better, and we’re doing an excellent job with offensive rebounding and getting second-chance shots.”
Another team strength has been the point guard play of freshman Marla Olstedt (Seaside, Ore.) and sophomore Kasey Craft. Olstedt has 16 assists and 13 turnovers, and Craft has two assists and 13 turnovers.
“Marla and Kasey have established themselves as legitimate point guards,” Meadors said. “Good teams don’t always play their best, but find ways to win. Once everyone on the team figures out their roles and how they can help our team on every possession, we’ll be able to play well and win some games against good teams.”
Freshman forward/guard Allison Horazdovsky (Homer, Alaska) leads the Lady Devils at 11.6 points per game, and is followed closely by first-year wings Jade Haas (Elma) at 11.2 and 10.6 rebounds, and Sadie Salte (Kelso) at 10.8 points. Rounding out the frontcourt are sophomore wing Holly Weston at 8.4 points and freshman post Cassie Koering (Woodland) at 5.8 points.
All-NWAACC Western Division standout Heidi Jackson returns for her sophomore season and is averaging nearly 10 points and 5.4 rebounds, and is joined by Olstedt at eight points, Craft at 1.6 and freshman Brittany Welch (R.A. Long) at 1.8.
Freshman post Natalie Smith of Woodland will be a redshirt non-participant this season.
“We have nine quality players who can come in, play significant minutes and be a big part of our success,” Meadors said. “Skill-wise we can match up with anyone, and no team will have more athletes on the floor than we’ll have.”
Despite the losses to teams ranked in the NWAACC Coaches Poll, Meadors knows his troops will be ready to battle for the Western Division crown and a berth in the NWAACC Championships in March.
“Rankings don’t mean a lot to us in the preseason,” he said. “Our losses were against teams who we thought would be in the polls. They’ve prepared us for the division games, which we’ll be ready for because of our tough nonleague schedule.”
The Lady Devils entertain Lane of Eugene on Saturday, and tangle with top-ranked Umpqua in their final nonleague game at Truman Myklebust Gym on Jan. 3.
Here’s a player-by-player glance at what Meadors had to say about his 2008-’09 squad:
Heidi Jackson (5-8 sophomore guard): “Heidi won’t be outworked by anyone on the team. She spent all summer lifting weights and is in the gym every morning at 7. Her desire to have a great sophomore year is tremendous. As soon as Heidi gets in a rhythm, she’ll take off and you’ll see why she was all-conference last year.”
Marla Olstedt (5-7 freshman guard): “Marla has taken over the point and has been incredible. She’s taking care of the ball, and is communicating and leading the team on the floor. Marla’s been a pleasant surprise, but I want her to shoot the ball more.”
Brittany Welch (5-5 freshman guard): “Brittany has been a nonstop surprise from the beginning. She can really shoot the ball, and gives us a lift off the bench. Brittany does a lot of the little things very well, and goes out and executes them every game.”
Holly Weston (5-8 sophomore forward): “No one plays harder than Holly. She makes things happen on the court and sets the tone for us defensively. You can’t have enough players like Holly in your program.”
Kasey Craft (5-5 sophomore guard): “Kasey has established a role for herself as the backup point guard. She has the determination to be successful, and will be an integral part of our team.”
Allison Horazdovsky (5-11 freshman guard): “Allison is a microwave and can have a 30-point night at a moment’s notice. She can come off the bench hot and bury five 3-pointers in a row. We want Allison to be more physical and much tougher on the defensive end.”
Cassie Koering (6-2 freshman post): “Cassie is a good physical player who can consistently hit her shots from 15 feet and in. She does a good job cleaning up the defensive rebounds, and we’re working on making her a more physical player at the defensive end.”
Jade Haas (5-9 freshman forward): “Jade is a walking double-double. She’s a threat to score 10-20 points and get 13-15 rebounds every night. She uses her athleticism and goes for the defensive rebound on every shot. Jade has come a long way in a short time by adjusting to the college game.”
Sadie Salte (5-10 freshman forward): “Sadie has won a starting spot as a wing. She can score with her back to the basket, facing the basket, driving to the basket and shooting the 3. Sadie has few limitations on offense, and her defense is really improving. She’s also been able to step in and take a charge, which is something I look for from all the players.”
Natalie Smith (6-2 freshman post): Natalie will be a redshirt non-participant for us this season. She’s competing hard in practice and improving by leaps and bounds. Natalie can really hit the 15-footer, and stretch it out to hit a 3 at times. I want her to be more physical and aggressive by attacking more and blocking shots.”
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