2B/1B Preview Boys and girls Basketball

Bi-County boys

 Northwest Christian has won three consecutive state championships, and a fourth is a good possibility this year.

 The Crusaders’ leading scorer last season, Chase Ramey, returns to a veteran squad that includes 6-foot-4 post Matt Zandbergen. NWC lost only two players to graduation last year, and it has several other role players who can fill the bucket.

 A state qualifier a year ago, Lind-Ritzville will challenge the Crusaders and it returns two second-team all-league selections, junior Jamie Stevenson and senior Cory Whitmore.

 Colfax has moved down from 1A and should provide a challenge.

 Sprague-Harrington and Odessa are the two front-runners for the 1B title.

 Other players to watch: Terry Kissler, sr., Sprague-Harrington; Austin Snavely, jr., Wilbur-Creston; Cameron Stephens, sr., Northwest Christian; Taylor Morgan, sr., Davenport; Jamie Bennett, sr., Valley Christian.

Panorama boys

 Wellpinit must excuse some people who may have overlooked the Redskins at last year’s State 2B tournament.

 The fifth seed out of the District 7 tournament, Wellpinit was the lone Panorama League team to earn a state trophy, placing eighth. St. George’s, the league’s regular-season champion, fell one win shy of collecting a trophy at state.

 Wellpinit moves down to 1B this year and will challenge Curlew and Cusick at the top of the league standings. Redskins junior Cody Flett is one of the top returning players in the league and will dictate much of his team’s success.

 St. George’s remains the favorite among the 2B teams despite losing last year’s league MVP, Henry Butler. Dragons junior Jordan Dickson is a prolific outside shooter.

 Other players to watch: Jordan Wakefield, jr., Curlew; Spencer Shanholtzer, so., Cusick; Phillip Livingston, jr., St. George’s; Grant Evans, sr., St. George’s; Jesse Beck, sr., Republic.

District 9 North boys

 No teams qualified for state from what was formerly the Whitman County League last year. Chances are good that disappointment won’t be endured again this season.

 All five members of last year’s first-team all-league team return, including two from 2B Tekoa-Oakesdale: seniors Kelly Cook and Casey Cook.

 St. John-Endicott is the favorite to win the 1B league crown. Junior Warren Miller was a first-team selection in 2007, and senior teammate Wyatt Sitton garnered second-team recognition.

 Other players to watch: Jordan Palmer, sr., Garfield-Palouse; Jim Maley, jr., Rosalia; Zach St. John, jr., Rosalia.

Bi-County girls

 The 2B race should be interesting after three Bi-County teams qualified for state last year and former State 1A power Colfax joins the league. The Bulldogs have won five state titles since 2002.

 Northwest Christian’s Hayley Hendricksen was awarded first-team all-league recognition last year as a freshman and hopes to make a second trip to state. Liberty junior Kelly Hennessee, a second-team selection last season, is seeking a return trip, too.

 Lind-Ritzville, the one Bi-County team to win a game at state last year, is trying to overcome the graduation of Laura Cain and Katlin Fowles.

 Davenport, led by 2007 first-team pick Mariah Mielke, and Valley Christian, powered by junior Kelly Hennessey, could give the contenders for state a run for their money, and even figure in the mix if any of those teams slip up.

Panorama girls

 St. George’s is the runaway favorite to claim the league title with the Panorama’s returning player of the year, junior Chessey Thomas. Teammate Lena Leverett-Standal, a junior, joined Thomas as a first-team all-league selection.

 Paced by senior Maria Villegas, a first-team pick last year, Selkirk could be the team to challenge St. George’s.

 Coaches cited a few factors for expecting the 1B race to be tightly contested. Wellpinit has moved down from 2B, and teams that may have slipped a bit last year because of youth are coming back one year older and more experienced.

 Cusick is the favorite in the 1B title hunt, led by senior Holly Edwards.

 Other players to watch: Katie Urann, sr., St. Michael’s; Serena Condon, sr., Inchelium; Salena Flett, jr., Columbia; Lauren Flett, so., Wellpinit; Larissa Miller, jr., Curlew; Noel Meyer, jr., Curlew.

District 9 North girls

 This league clearly has been the state’s most dominant over the past two years, including two 1B state championships and a total of seven top-eight finishes at the state tournament.

 Garfield-Palouse defeated league rival Colton 44-36 in last year’s state title game. Gar-Pal has moved up to 2B this year, though, along with league rival Tekoa-Oakesdale.

 Gar-Pal and Colton suffered key graduation losses and will have to stave off T-O and St. John-Endicott atop the league standings. Junior Elisha Lopez, a second-team all-league selection last year, will lead Gar-Pal’s title defense bid.

 St. John-Endicott, which placed fourth at state, will be led by junior Kelly Van Lith and senior Alyssa FitzGerald. Both players were second-team picks last year.

 Shelby Puckett, a senior from Tekoa-Oakesdale, is the lone returning first-team all-league selection. Junior teammate Desiree Chappell was a second-teamer.

 Rosalia’s Kate Hodges was a second-team pick last year.

Jason Shoot, correspondent