The Mingus Union High School girls basketball team will head into the season with a roster full of seniors, but not all will start the season.
Senior point guard Angel Chavez broke a bone in her hand and will be out at least until she gets the cast off on Dec. 23, said Marauders girls head coach Art Moncibaez, but the team has plenty of experienced players to fill in until Chavez returns.
“Angel takes care of the ball well, but we have other people who can handle the ball,” Moncibaez said. “We have Monica Soliz who handles the ball very well and we’ve got Amber Rippy who played for Sedona last year and she handles the ball well too.”
Besides Soliz and Rippy, who are both seniors, the Marauders also have several other guards who may see court time, including junior Kylee Streck and sophomores Vivian Koeppe and Lisa Jaimes.
At 5 feet 8 inches tall, Rippy can also play a forward position, along with seniors Lexie Kleiman and Danielle Valenzuela and junior Rylee Allred.
The team’s post players are senior Heather Calandra and sophomore Sharon Rehborg.
Calandra, who is very strong, was the Division III state shot put and discus champion for the Marauders track team last season. Moncibaez said that Rehborg is also a player who is willing to play tough inside.
“As we go on through the season, we should do well,” he said. “My hope is to be very competitive and win some ballgames.
“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to is. Wanting to win is why we play the game. So it’s going to be about coming together as a team, and it takes a while for that to gel.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Nov. 27, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
