PHOTO: From left -- Sonja Rogers, Tamara Guardipee, Dvera Tolbert, Misty Atkinson, and Stephanie Stender.
True frosh Sarah Ena and sophomore wing Lauren Beck showed they're ready to contribute to an already deep Lady Griz squad that's already receiving near-unanimous attention to repeat as conference champions.
The duo each notched 15 points -- Ena in the paint and Beck from beyond the tip of the key -- to lead all players in scoring.
Otherwise, It was difficult to get a good read on this first Lady Griz scrimmage. Shots were not falling. Bodies were. Perhaps because there was some fatigue early on that slowed the game down quickly. The last 5 minutes of the first half were ragged.
Nonetheless this team has picked up from last year’s amazing run. Junior point Mandy Morales let be known early on that she was running the show. And her backcourt partner Sonja Rogers -- obviously in much better condition than many of her teammates -- ran the floor, penetrated the key, and at times shredded the defense.
Lauren Beck has the statistics to show that she’ll be a long-range scoring threat this year. Several of her shots literally floated, and I can see her filling an important scoring role from the tip of the key.
Lastly, I was again impressed with the quickness, rebounding sense and pugnacious toughness of frosh wing Sarah Ena. Coach Robin Selvig has said publicly that Ena will likely be redshirted. But she’s already showing the skill to push upperclass players for minutes.
The Lady Griz may need another week of conditioning. But this might be a team capable of going as far into post-season play as any team Selvig has had.
That’s saying something.
