Strong start to the season

All championship caliber teams have to overcome some kind of adversity throughout the course of a season.

The Corvallis High girls basketball team was no stranger to facing adversity last season. The Spartans played through the loss of point guard Gabe Johnson after she was ejected from a game at a tournament at Lake Oswego over the Christmas break; senior Eva Oriakhi was lost for the season with a knee injury early into the Mid-Willamette Conference season; and first-team all-conference standout McKenzie Redberg suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the 5A state tournament opener against Hermiston and was done for the year.

The Spartans battled back from a big defict against Aloha in the Lake Oswego tournament without Johnson only to come up two points short. They had other players step up in the post to make up for the loss of Oriakhi down low and finished tied for the MWC title. And they won their final two games of the season without Redberg to take home fourth place at the state tournament.

So with a deep and experienced team returning for the 2008-09 season and expectations at an all-time high for the program, it probably shouldn't have come as any surprise that the Spartans would face a little bit of adversity in their season-opener on Thursday night.

And they did to some degree, althought they didn't lose any player to injury and were never seriously threatened after the first quarter.

Still, the Spartans had to play without Redberg again for most of the game as she was saddled with foul trouble almost from the start.

No worries, however, as the Spartans cranked up the defense and again showed depth on offense with three players in double figures and another with eight as they opened the season with a convincing 64-33 pounding of 6A West Salem at Spartan Gym..

"I think that it shows a lot that we can pick our teammate up if someone gets hurt or fouls out, like Z sitting." Johnson said. "We're not dependent on one person, we're dependent on each other so we can all work as a team and pick up one another."

Coach Joe Williamson said the experience of playing without Redberg in the state tournament showed how deep the Spartans are, and how the other players can step up and make an impact.

"Our girls, (they) all know (they) have to be ready to step up and kind of pick up whatever someone else isn't doing, pick up that weight," he said. "Even if someone were to get hurt like Z did (in the tournament) or is having an off half, we know we have the depth to fill in for those girls."

Right from the start Thursday it was Katie Schrock, a junior who has moved into the starting lineup this season, setting the tone for the Spartans. Schrock canned a 3-pointer form the baseline for an early 3-0 lead. She banged home another three from nearly the same spot for a 9-2 lead, and added her third three for a 14-4 lead with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter.

West Salem never got closer.

"Katie is going to have most nights a night like that," Williamson said. "She's a very good shooter, very good offensive player and a better defender this year. What you saw out of Katie, we anticipate that will be a nightly thing."

If it is a nightly performance, the Spartans will be hard to defend. Schrock finished with 13 points, as did Johnson. Alaina Adams added 10 and Kayla Laney had eight.

Laney gave the Spartans a spark with her rebounding prowess and earned the honor of being the firts player to receive Beatriz the Bear, a stuffed bear that is given out to a player of the game (I think, better check on the specifics and I'll get back to you).

The Spartans had a 33-12 lead at the half and kept up the intensity. Karly Laney, who finished with six points, gave the Spartans a 43-15 advantage, the largest of the game until the closing minute, with 4:17 left in the quarter.

"We will rely on our defense and our speed and quickness," Williamson said. "That's why it's nice when girls don't have a good quarter or a good half, that if you play good defense it not only takes points away from the other team on the scoreboard, but it also kind of leads to our points and doesn't have to be one of our scorers getting a breakaway layup or a 15-footer."

Johnson did say that the Spartans need to do a better job of using that quickness on offense.

"I think we need to work on, even though I know we can do it, is just getting back into the whole running the ball," she said. "Like Joe said, we are a fast team and we need to take advantage of that."

West Salem did show some signs of life earlier in the fourth quarter and cut its deficit to 22, but the Spartans answered and closed out strong to earn the win.

"West got a little aggressive," Williamson said. "It seemed like they got a little upset (and looked) at the scoreboard and decided they were going to play us a little aggressive."

Williamson called a timeout and challenged the girls to finish the game strong -- and they did.

If there was any concern, it could be over the new rules that seem to have the officials calling the game closer than last year. Redberg was the only player to be in serious foul trouble early, but several players finished with three or four fouls.

Williamson isn't too concerned.

"It was the first game, you kind of get some of those wrinkles out and (are) trying to get comfortable again with how the refs are going to call it," he explained.. "I actually thought all of our girls did a good job of moving their feet and not reaching. I do not take anything away from what they did tonight. I wouldn't want them to play any different. The fouls they got were, to me, aggressive fouls. I dont think they were being lazy and reaching. We'll take those fouls."

With the first game over, the Spartans can get back to practice and work on improving.

"I'm really glad that we played good the first game so we have momentum for practice and our next game," Johnson said. "Now we kind of know in a real game what we all can do, even though we did, but this was our first real test and I'm really proud and glad that our team did well today."

It will be a big week next week for the Spartans as they head to Wilsonville on Tuesday to face a team that was in the state tournament last year. Then they face Willamette, ranked No. 2 in the coaches poll, just ahead of the Spartans, at the Sherwood tournament on Friday.

"I think next week is going to prove and show a lot in our team and how together we are," Johnson said. "I think that's going to be a big test for us."

Corvallis 64, West Salem 33
WEST SALEM 5 7 11 10 -- 33
CORVALLIS 18 15 16 15 -- 64
West Salem: Kaila Britten 9, Kumm 4, Moye 4, Velez 3, Beyer 3, Nevell 3, Hedrick 2, Watson 2, Coba 2, Stombaugh 1
Corvallis: Katie Schrock 13, Gabe Johnson 3, Adams 10, Kay. Laney 8, Kar, Laney 6, M. redberg 5, Gerner 4, W. Redberg 3, Clark 2, Hendrickson, McGowan