St. Helens girls basketball has a strong freshman class with a mission to ‘bring St. Helens to the top of the league by their senior year’

Here’s our look at the St. Helens Lions girls of the Class 5A Northwest Oregon Conference.

By Dan Brood

Over the next two weeks, SBLive Oregon will break down more than 100 Oregon high school basketball teams. Here’s our look at the St. Helens Lions girls of the Class 5A Northwest Oregon Conference.

Madison Blazek photo courtesy of Kyle Brayton

ST. HELENS TEAM PAGE

HEAD COACH

Kyle Brayton, first season

2019-20 AT A GLANCE

Overall record: 13-10

Conference record: 5-9 (tied for fifth in NWOC)

Playoffs: None

ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS DEPARTED

G Maddie Holm, first team

W Mackenzie Carlson, honorable mention

PLAYERS TO WATCH

F Madison Blazek, sr., 6-0

“She can score at will,” Brayton said. “She plays well from both the inside and outside.”

G Maria Reardon, sr., 5-3

“She’s versatile, fast and persistent,” Brayton said. “She’s emerged as the leader of the team.”

G Sarah Vanderwerf, jr., 5-7

“She’s an athletically gifted scorer,” Brayton said. “She is probably the future of the program, looking at next season.”

OUTLOOK

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the Lions will be replacing the production of the graduated Holm, who averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals per game last season, when she was a Class 5A all-state second-team selection.

In an attempt to do that, St. Helens will turn to a combination of experience and youth.

“We have a lot of potential with our freshmen and strong leadership from our upperclassmen,” Brayton said. “We want our seniors mentoring our underclassmen and developing the program’s future.”

As for this season, look for the Lions to push the tempo of the game.

“We’re going to be fast, relentless and shooter-focused,” Brayton said. “In a normal season, this team may be in the hunt for the playoffs but would definitely be rebuilding due to Maddie Holm’s departure.”

COACH SAID

“This season is going to be wild, but our coaching staff is embracing the chaos and hoping to give our seniors a nice sendoff. We have a team of hard-working girls that are eager to get back to playing competitively. Our freshman class has a lot of potential, and we look forward to developing these players to bring St. Helens to the top of the league by their senior year.” — Kyle Brayton

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