CHIMACUM — With virtually its entire roster intact, the Chimacum girls basketball team came off a promising 2017-2018 with high hopes for this season.
Those high hopes haven’t changed, but Cowboys head coach Trevor Huntingford has re-adjusted initial expectations after a slew of offseason injuries.
“I think we felt we would have a really fun group that was capable of taking it out of districts to regionals and making it to state,” Huntingford said. “We have had a few setbacks since then. Maddie Dowling tore her ACL in her first AAU game and has just been cleared to play in games 225 days out from the injury.
“We’re really happy she will be able to participate her senior year, that wasn’t originally the case. We understand she won’t be able to be her full self, so that changes us a little bit.”
Huntingford said that Mia McNair, a freshman who burst onto the scene to earn All-Olympic League 1A first-team status last season, has been dealing with a case of plantar fasciitis, a nagging injury which causes heel and foot pain.
“Mia had a really breakout summer,” Huntingford said. “She showed that same defensive intensity and she really started to hit her outside shot on another level. Spot-up, or even on step-backs and pullups, she has seemed to find her range. She hit six or seven in a game at basketball camp this summer, so if she can shoot a little more from outside that will open things up for us.”
And Huntingford said Jada Trafton, a senior guard, will miss some early games catching up on practices after taking a recent mission trip to Haiti.
“We still have high expectations,” Huntingford said.
“We have six seniors, our sophomores have grown as players, we are seeing good things from Jadeah Nordberg-Williams, a surprising inside scorer as an undersized post. We didn’t get a lot of that inside last year, so that would add a bunch.
“We are hoping that even with some of the bumps and bruises we can get a little of the slack picked up by the other girls.”
McNair, Trafton, Nordberg-Williams and seniors Grace Yaley and Clara Noble also are expected to start with Dowling coming off the bench after her injury. Diamond Young, the team’s lone junior, will see court time as a post, and Katie Clark and Savannah Huntingford will provide depth at guard.
Huntingford said Yaley is a solid scorer and rebounder despite her 5-foot-6 stature and Noble has improved dramatically since coming in as a relative rookie when she was a freshman.
“I have to give her some kudos, because she comes in as a ninth grader and she was all hustle and no clue about how to play the game. “She goes hard after rebounds and she has worked really hard to be a serviceable forward. She rebounds well around the rim, has worked on hitting her layups and can hit the 15-foot jumper.
Huntingford has put in the time with this group of players over the last few years, in season and off.
“This is an interesting group,” Huntingford said. “We’ve worked with all of them for a long time, they have lots of experience, played tons of games and the expectation is that this is a year where we really need to make it happen.
“But we have some synching up to do despite all of our experience.”
Chimacum’s front-loaded schedule concerns him, Huntingford said.
The Cowboys will play 10 of their 18 scheduled games before Dec. 21.
“We like to trap and press and expend energy defensively,” Huntingford said. “When you play Monday, then go back and play Wednesday and Friday in the same week, you get worn out, so this will be a test.”
There’s also a two-week break between games from Jan. 11 to Jan. 25, part of which is due to Coupeville leaving the Olympic League 1A for a new conference.
“I’m really concerned about that gap coming at a bad point in the season,” Huntingford said. “We can practice, but being game-ready and in game-shape is a different thing.”
• Key games/tournaments: Every game with Port Townsend is a competitive toss-up, and Klahowya has a new coaching staff this season in Olympic League 1A play. Games with Forks and Bellevue Christian should provide an early nonleague bellwether for the Cowboys’ hopes. Chimacum also travels to University Place to play in Charles Wright’s holiday tournament, with the chance to play a potential district playoff opponent.
Girls Basketball Chimacum Cowboys
• Coach: Trevor Huntingford (7th season, 30-91)
• Last season: 7-13, 3rd in Olympic League 1A, advanced to district pigtail playoff.
• Returners: Jada Trafton (Sr., G, 5-5); Grace Yaley (Sr., G/F, 5-6); Mia McNair (So., G, 5-7); Maddie Dowling (Sr., G/F, 5-8); Clara Noble (Sr., F, Hunter Haralson (Sr., G, 5-5); Jadeah Nordberg-Williams (So., F, 5-7); Diamond Young (Jr., C, 5-8); Katie Clark (So., G, 5-5); Savannah Huntingford (So., G, 5-4).
•Varsity Newcomers: None
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
