Viking girls will reload to defend D-SC Conference title
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THE COLFAX GIRLS’ basketball team will look to defend its conference title this season despite losing seven players including four starter to graduation last spring. Front row (L to R): Madison Barstad, Jazzy Best, Emilee Burcham-Scofield, Jillian Bowe, Jenna Goodell and Aliyah Rihn. Middle row (L to R): Kaysen Goodell, Lydia Polkoski, Emma Medin, Molly Heidorn, Jaycey Bowe and Meadow Keltner. Back row (L to R): Mckenna Shipman, Jeanette Hydukovich, Aynsley Olson, Autumn Niggeman and Aubrey Rihn. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Marlys Krueger
Sports Correspondent
COLFAX — The Colfax basketball team lost seven players, including four starters via graduation, from last season when they won the Dunn-St. Croix Conference championship, but they have plenty of firepower back as they begin the defense of that title.
The Viking girls finished 13-1 in conference play and 13-4 overall, with a heartbreaking season ending loss to Eau Claire Regis in the regionals. Gone from the team are starters Addisyn Olson, Marissa Harmon, Bailey Bradford, and Jasmine Paulus along with Rylee Parker, Abby Irwin, and Tyler Noll. Olson was a First Team All Conference pick and Harmon was named Honorable Mention.
Returning are seniors Madi Barstad, the reigning D-SC Player of the Year, along with Emilee Burcham-Scofield, Jazzy Best. Aliyah Rihn, Jillian Bowe, and Jenna Goodell. Burcham-Scofield and Best both earned Honorable Mention accolades last season. Barstad had a team leading 12.8 points per game (ppg) average along with 7.4 rebounds per game (rpg), while Burcham-Scofield averaged 6.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg, and Best 6.7 ppg.
Underclassmen who will contribute are sophomore McKenna Shipman who averaged 7.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg as a freshman, along with juniors Aynsley Olson and Molly Heidorn, and sophomore Jeanette Hydukovich.
Second year coach Courtney Sarauer believes strength in numbers will be a key to the team’s success this year.
“We have a lot of kids who can play,” Sarauer said. “They all work great together and they get along. In practice they really challenge each other to play at a high level,” she added.
Sarauer believes the conference will be tough this year with quite a few teams who will be strong competitors.
“Our first goal is to always win the conference and we will continue from there,” she concluded.
Colfax began the season with a 54-43 loss to Hudson, the runner up in the Division 1 state tournament last year.
2021-22 Roster
Seniors: Abigail Irwin, Addisyn Olson, Bailey Bradford, Marissa Harmon, Tyler Noll, Jasmine Paulus, Rylee Parker
Juniors: Jillian Bowe, Madison Barstad, Emilee Burcham, Jazzy Best, Aliyah Rihn, Jenna Goodell
Sophomores: Paige Jensen, Aynsley Olson, Molly Heidorn
Freshmen: Meadow Keltner, Jaycey Bowe, Alexis Schindler, Josie Seehaver, McKenna Shipman, Jeanette Hydukovich, Jada Anderson, Amy Wenzel