Last season the eighth-grade Winnemucca Junior High School girls basketball team had a stellar season, losing only one game all year.
WJHS starts the 2019 season on the road in Carson with a round-robin tournament at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 and on Saturday Sept. 7 they go to Fernley for an 8:30 a.m. tip-off.
“I am excited for a new year,” WJHS coach Daralee Millikan said. “I think we will have some great successes this season, and I can’t wait for it to happen. We have a lot of different types of girls this year than we have had in the past. We have some strong skills in some of the areas. They seem to work really well together and help each other out a lot, so I think the team part is going to be strong. Nine of my 12 girls played last year in the seventh-grade; the other ones are new this year. Savannah (Stoker) is very strong and very versatile, so I can put her in a lot of different spots. Bryce (Brinkerhoff) is a hard worker and does a good job, and Alexis (Galarza) is good inside also, she has a lot of skills.”
The girls head home for a Tri-Ccounty match-up on Sept. 14 at 9 a.m. Then they are off to McDermitt Sept. 20, Lovelock Sept. 21 and Pyramid Lake Sept. 28.
“We always have to struggle at the beginning of the season because we play some of our toughest teams right away," Millikan said. "We need to work out all of the jitters and nerves as quickly as possible; pull ourselves together right away and make it work.”
The Warriors will host the championship games on Oct. 5 starting at 9 a.m., and they finish the year with another round-robin in Elko on Oct. 19.
The schedule is subject to changes/additions.
Seventh-grade coach Clay Sagers is in his fourth year coaching the girls.
“I think this year is going well," Sagers said. "They are a good bunch of girls and we should have another good year just like the other years that we have had. They are a fun group to be around which makes it good. We have only had two practices so far, but they are picking things up pretty quick and they are getting there.”
The eighth-grade roster includes: Autumn Sanchez, Alexis Galarza, Piper Nichols, Savannah Stoker, Katlyn Gomez, Bryce Brinkerhoff, Angeleena Burke, Miranda Draper, Cambria Tisue, Jacqueline Sanchez, Sloan Fox, Hayden Case and Maya Hernandez (player/manager).
The seventh-grade roster includes: Allison Green, Bailey Elordi, Trea Northrup, Natalee Formby, Khlloe Shorey, Olivia Espinola, Katie Cassinelli, Lauren Fettic, Makenna Garcia, Britain Backus, Presley Hayes and Danielle Scott.
The WJHS pep squad is comprised of: Hali Parrish, Kalani Arriola, Alexandra Villasenor, Paola Flores, Danica Coleman, Bailey Rorex, Morgan Rorex, Mackenzie Cliaratto, Kelly Zhelayev, Sara Cox and Kylee Growcock.
