JUNIOR JESSICA FLANAGAN (5) was the Trico League Most Valuable Player last season and she is one of Woodland’s key players again this season. She is shown here during a game earlier this season at La Center.
It would have been difficult for the Woodland Beavers girls basketball team to have been faced with a more difficult non-league schedule than the one they’ve endured this season.
Woodland heads into the new year and the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League portion of the season with a 3-5 record. But, don’t be deceived by that record. The Beavers expect to once again battle for a postseason appearance, something that has been a mainstay for the Woodland program in the 18 years coach Glen Flanagan has been at the helm.
So far this season, Woodland has played Class 4A opponents Camas and Battle Ground. The Beavers have also faced the top two ranked teams in the latest Associated Press 2A state poll, Mark Morris and W.F. West. Add to that a game against Kalama, the 6th-ranked 1A team in the state and one-loss La Center.
“We’ve played a decent non-league and early-season schedule,’’ Flanagan said. “We didn’t win as much as we should have, but we were playing against tough competition.’’
Winning is something the Beavers have done a lot of since Flanagan has been their coach. In his 18 years, the Beavers have won 14 league titles. They also enjoyed a six-year stretch of state tournament appearances between 2001-2006. Last year, Woodland finished 22-1, losing by three points to Blaine in the 1A field of the final 16 teams. Blaine went on to advance to the state semifinals.
The Beavers entered this season with a veteran-laden roster, having lost just one key player to graduation. So, even though they have stepped up to the 2A level this season, the Beavers expect to enjoy success again this year.
“We expect to get to the district tournament and we expect to once again have a shot to go to state,’’ Flanagan said.
Senior Sidra Malik is a two-time returning all-league player. The 5-foot-3 Malik is a fierce competitor according to her coach.
“She’s a really good athlete,’’ Flanagan said. “She’s a great defender and she is very hard-nosed. She won’t back down from anybody. She has started since her freshman year so nothing is going to phase her.’’
Another mainstay for the Beavers is junior Jessica Flanagan, Glen’s daughter and the 1A Trico League’s Most Valuable Player last season. The 5-8 junior can play inside or outside on both offense and defense. She handles the ball under pressure and often defends the opposing team’s best player. Last season, she was second on the team in scoring and steals and led the team in rebounding and assists.
“She can play anywhere we want and do anything we want,’’ the coach said of his three-year starter and two-time all-league performer.
Senior McKenna Mulder, a 6-1 forward, provides the Beavers with scoring in the low post and a shot blocker on defense. She was second-team all-league last season.
“McKenna is a four-year varsity kid,’’ Flanagan said. “She alters a lot of shots defensively. It’s nice to have that presence inside.’’
Amber Malik is a 5-7 junior. Flanagan calls her his “defensive specialist.’’
“If we want defense, we go with her,’’ the coach said. “If we want shooting, we go with Grace Adams.’’
Adams is a junior guard who had 12 points, including three 3-pointers, in a recent loss to Battle Ground.
Senior Kendall Grell, a 5-8 wing player, is currently leading the Beavers in scoring at 10 per game. She was an honorable mention all-league selection last season. Other key performers for Woodland include sophomore Kayla Fredricks and junior Kate Cochran.
Flanagan has rotated his starting lineup so far this season, a practice that started after a disappointing home loss to Kalama.
“They hadn’t beat us in 20 years or more and they stormed our court after a non-league game,’’ Flanagan said. “We seemed like we were unmotivated and were just going through the motions. So, the next day in practice I said we had no starters and everyone had to earn it. I wanted to promote some competition.’’
Woodland is once again one of the best defensive teams in the area. However, the Beavers downfall has been their inability to score.
“That’s our problem this year,’’ Flanagan said. “We have to figure out how to put the ball in the basket.’’
Woodland is currently 1-1 in league play. Flanagan says Mark Morris is the “cream of the crop’’ in the 2A GSHL but he expects his Beavers to compete for second along with Hockinson, Washougal and R.A. Long.
“We expect to win,’’ he said. “We’ve got to make some changes and figure it out.’’
