Going with young players for the most part is not easy but when the Camp Verde High School girls basketball team finished 18-10 during the 2009-2010 season while starting three freshmen and a sophomore, it certainly seemed easy.
Cowboys Head Coach Mark Showers enters June with a great building block for success from last season despite
losing to St. Johns High School in the first round of the 2A conference state tournament in February.
Having lost only two seniors to graduation a few weeks ago, Showers is excited to see what his young cagers can do this offseason.
Taylor Phillips, Viv Lucero and Shayna Sterrett are the only three seniors that will be taking the court this offseason but the real focus is on a young core group that played beyond their years for the Cowboys last season.
Junior Lila Hickey is certainly the centerpiece in Showers’ program at the moment, but sophomore guards Amanda Showers and Donnie Buss aren’t half bad either.
“We’ve got the makings of a really good team and this summer is going to help us out tremendously,” Showers said.
Juniors Tori Mathews and Marissa Simons are part of the group that have big expectations for the 2010-2011 season.
On Mondays this summer, Camp Verde plays in a rotating league with Coconino High School, Mingus Union High School, Sedona Red Rock High School and Bradshaw Mountain High School.
Last week, Camp Verde hosted the league while Monday, June 7, all the teams were in Flagstaff.
On Monday, June 14, all the aforementioned high schools will be in Sedona.
“I think everyone really likes this rotating league. It gives everyone a chance to be at home; the home teams are responsible for paying referees and scoreboard operators,” Showers said.
To go along with the Monday league night, Camp Verde is scheduled to play in the Valley Christian Tournament on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19.
The Cowboys will wrap up the summer with a trip to the Point Loma Tournament on Friday, June 25, which runs through Sunday, June 27.
“We spent the whole first year showing them the basics and now that we’re entering their second year, we can refine our system. The girls are far ahead of where they were last year at this point,” Showers said.
