Lehi Sports
Pioneer girls start early with blend of experience and youth
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School girls basketball team tips off the season Tuesday (Nov. 18) with a home game against Cyprus on the first day contests are allowed.
Coach Sean Seastrand’s squad has a cadre of returning contributors along with some up-and-coming players who are expected to have some varsity impact this season.
The conversation starts with senior guard Brynlee Cook, who got significant varsity minutes last year and averaged about eight points and three rebounds per contest. “She spent a lot of time during the offseason working on every aspect of her game and is ready to step up for us,” the coach said.
Though still just a sophomore, forward Kelcee Rasmussen started every varsity game last season and averaged 5.5 points and 5.6 boards per contest. “She has been getting stronger and has improved her touch around the basket,” Seastrand said.
Junior guard Hayden Warren has been “working on her perimeter game and her outside shot is looking good,” the coach said. She averaged 4.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season and is expected to be a major contributor this time around.
Sophomore guard Cali Ashton got a lot of varsity minutes and “has improved her overall ball skills, her outside shot and scoring around the rim. She’s going to surprise some people,” Seastrand said.
Junior post Paisley Worthen worked her way into the rotation towards the end of the season last year and has been getting stronger while improving her post-up game and her ability to finish around the basket, the coach said.
Completing the group with recent experience is senior forward Madi Ogden, who has developed a keen eye and lightning reflexes as a goalkeeper on the soccer team. “She’s our Swiss army knife,” Seastrand said. “We can play her at every position and she does all the little things right. She’s solid at everything.”
Senior forward Madi Andrews played varsity as a sophomore but missed all of last season after foot surgery. “She’s a sharpshooter with an excellent outside shot,” the coach said. “She’s mature and experienced and will help steady our young roster.”
Among those youngsters, look for freshman guard Brinley Sorensen and freshman forward Camryn Bell. Seastrand said Sorensen is “really skilled, a good shooter who is a quick and aggressive scorer. Camryn is long and versatile; she does a little bit of everything. They’ll be great additions to our rotation.”
Seastrand said the schedule favors the development of his team. “We’ve got a lot of home games early, which should help our young players with little or no varsity experience to get settled in,” he said. His team has a couple of solid opponents lined up for the Holiday Hoopfest as well.
“We’ll be playing Westlake, which will have some buzz around it because it’s kind of a rivalry game even though they’ve moved from our region,” Seastrand said. He’s also looking forward to playing Rigby out of Malad, Idaho, the 3A runner-up in their state last season.
The Pioneers will compete at a tournament in St. George early next month which the coach expects to help build camaraderie heading into the holiday break.
“Our region has one less team than has been typical, so we have scheduled Farmington and Weber with the boys to fill holes in the schedule,” he said. “Of course, we’ll finish with our heavyweight region games and hope for a run in the tournament. We’re playing a good mix of teams,” the coach said.
“Our goal is always a state championship regardless of who’s on the team,” Seastrand said. “However, our focus will be squarely on getting better every day by focusing on us and what we do. We’re young so we’re going to go play and have fun and be loose.
“We’ll attempt to play fast like everyone else in the world right now, and will try to play to our strengths,” the coach continued. “Lone Peak will be the class of the state again so those games will be a good gauge of where we are.
“We’re going to put our senior leaders and young talent together and see what we can accomplish together. It’s going to be fun,” Seastrand concluded.
The Pioneers will welcome Riverton on Friday (Nov. 21) and Payson on Tuesday (Nov. 25). Tipoffs are set for 7 p.m. Check future issues of the Lehi Free Press for results and details.
