Steamboat Pilot & Today

Oak Creek — Bob Johnson's 35th year of coaching at Soroco could be one of his best if the girls play to their potential.
"We have seven seniors and they all are pretty good," Johnson said.
One of the key seniors is returning starting point guard Sarah Broadbent, who will bring the ball down and be at the helm of Johnson's flex offense.
He also is looking toward Katherine Ford and Jamie Iacovetto at the wing positions to be instrumental parts of the offense.
"They'll have to do quite a bit of scoring at the wings for us," Johnson said.
Senior Kaycee Samuelson and junior Sara Jo Linden are expected to be the starting post players.
Johnson said Samuelson is a good defensive player while Linden has pretty good scoring skills from the block.
Along with the flex, which is an active offensive with lots of screening, Johnson hopes to get points from the fast break. Johnson also wants to put the pressure on with a full-court defense.
"I'm hoping our defense will be stronger this year," he said.
Soroco ended last season with an 8-12 record and was 7-5 in the conference.
The Rams were seeded fourth in districts last year but lost the first game in the tournament.
"This year, we're a little more balanced than we were last year," Johnson said.
Johnson's starters all are strong at their positions and all have ample varsity experience.
Plus, when he looks down the bench for backups, he'll have plenty to choose from.
Seniors Audra Meade, Dannielle Ferrick and Myria Rodeman all saw some playing time last year and will be able to do the job when called upon.
Junior Sierra Montoya and Sophomore Meg Hayne also should see significant playing time this year.
Though blessed with depth and experience, Johnson still is concerned about rebounding. In the past, he has had a hard time getting the girls to be aggressive on the boards and hopes this year will be a turning point in that department.
However, he admits his team is stacking up well in the league.
Johnson expects West Grand to be the team to beat this year. That team will feature Jessica and Shonda Brown, twin sisters who both could play the point guard position.
He also expects North Park to compete this year.
"They'll be young, but they should be pretty good," Johnson said.
The Rams begin their season at a tournament in Debeque Dec. 1.