Depth of South Sevier makes team a favorite

Randy Madsen has something many basketball coaches in the smaller classifications do not — depth.

"I think the thing that helps us is our depth," said the South Sevier head coach. "We have eight or nine kids who are really good basketball players."

That depth helped the Rams win the 2A title last season, and most coaches feel its the team to beat this year as it returns all but two players.

"When we scrimmage 5-on-5, it's intense," Madsen said. "We really have nine good basketball players."

The Rams also have last year's 2A MVP returning in Aubrey Lindgren. The junior forward averaged 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last year, and in the squad's first two games this season she's posted double-doubles.

"She's just a great all-around athlete," said Madsen. Lindgren has a stellar supporting cast in junior point guard Jaden Parsons, who was a first-team all-state player last year. Senior guard Megan Dowell and senior center Tiphani Robinson will join junior guard Jacee Curtis in the Rams' starting lineup.

The last game South Sevier lost was in the preseason of the 2006-07 season when it lost a close one to Manti.

"I think we've won 17 or 18 in a row since then," Madsen said. "But we play Dixie and Canyon View next week, so we'll find out just how good we really are."

Coaches voted Beaver No. 2 in that preseason poll, a team that finished fifth last season.

The Beavers are led by senior center Morgan Wood, who averaged 17 points and 9.5 rebounds last year and has verbally committed to play at SUU next year. She's joined by Jacey Blackner, a senior forward, Lachelle Christensen, a senior guard, and Brittany Griffiths, a sophomore guard.

Coach Jon Marshall said some of the team's success will depend on how the squad's young talent develops.

"Hopefully we can compete with the top teams," he said.

The North Sevier Wolves were voted No. 3 in the preseason poll, and for good reason. The team returns senior Melissa Porter, a 6-3 center, and senior guard Chanda Hallows. The Wolves have already whipped Layton Christian, but they lost a preseason contest to Beaver.

Richfield was voted No. 4 in the preseason poll, and the Wildcats have one of the youngest squads with just one senior on the team. Tori Christensen is the lone senior, with McCall Nielson, a junior, at point guard and Lindsay Card, a junior guard/forward, and junior Jaquel Christensen, who missed eight region games last year, playing center at 6-3.