Photo: Storey Schmidt, Sariah Doherty and Madison Smith of the Steven’s 8th grade team will keep future Olympic League coaches up late. The Stampeders are 6-0
By Oly Archibald
When the Neah Bay Middle school girls basketball teams came to town last Friday, it meant one thing! There were a lot of really good hoopsters in town.
Around here, if you’re good enough to beat any Neah Bay girls basketball team, it means you’re really good. If you’re a Port Angeles basketball fan pop open the Martinelli Sparkling Cider and turn up Kool & Gang’s “Celebration”, because a very talented 8th grade team beat Neah Bay 45-33.
Give Neah Bay some extra credit, because their two best 8th graders are playing up with their big sisters on the #1 ranked high school team in the state and one of those players has the name Moss on her jersey which means one thing: “Shooter”!
Stevens Head Coach Lauren Lunt has a loaded deep talented and well coached team. Tall lanky point guard Storey Schmidt leads the way. Schmidt immediately passes the eye test. In fact, she has the young look of one of Tara Vandervers Stanford Cardinal. Schmidt has outstanding ball handling skills with a high basketball IQ. Schmidt does it all at both ends of the floor and has future All Olympic League team written all over her.
Guard Madison Smith is another baller with a lot of skill and gets plenty of competition at home going against big sisters Lexie and Lindsay of the Roughriders varsity team. Madison has a nice shot and has a huge upside and the sky is the limit. Sarah Doherty, a transfer from Neah Bay, is a very physical guard with good size who could play shooting guard or small forward for the Roughriders. Doherty has great ball handling skills and is a solid shooter. Another Steven’s player with a high basketball IQ is guard Elvira Tinoco Wheeler. Wheeler has special skills. Wheeler is outstanding getting the ball to the paint on the dribble drive and to the rim. A defensive wizard she is quick to the ball and is going to be a very exciting Roughrider to watch.
London Bourland, another Steven’s player with size, is very aggressive at attacking the rim and is very athletic with very good hopps! The rest of the Steven’s bench is deep with solid contributors with a lots of upside. Scoring in the win over Neah Bay Madison Smith and Elvira Tinoco Wheeler each had 10 points. Sariah Doherty and London Bourland hit for 8 points. Storey Schmidt had 7 points and Lillian Mahanley had 2 points.
All the coaches, parents, sponsors and athletes of the team can pat themselves on the back for where this team is at. The future for the Roughriders is very bright.
In the JV and 7th grade game, it was all Neah Bay and there is a special player on the way to being another Red Devil hoops star and she is only in the 6th grade. Haven Halttunen is the younger sister of Red Devil Sophomore All State athlete Angel Halttunen.
Neah Bay 6th grader Haven Halttunen has the look of another Red Devil all-state point guard
In the JV game Haven led Neah Bay to a 18-6 win scoring 8 points. Haven has outstanding ball handling skills and can dribble out of a lunch pail. She has cat-like attacking skills with the ball and is always looking up the floor for open teammates. Haven has a nice soft jumper and uses the window well.