Editor's Note: This story is included in The Chronicle's 2023-24 Prep Basketball Preview, which is published in the Thursday edition.
Just like on the volleyball court, the Mossyrock girls basketball team’s continuity took a hit coming into this season. The volleyball Vikings overcame the changes to cruise through the 1B Columbia Valley League and District 4, before making a run deep into the state tournament. Now, it’s time to see if they can repeat the feat in basketball.
Caelyn Marshall just wrapped up her freshman volleyball season at South Puget Sound. Payton Torrey just switched over from volleyball to basketball at Lower Columbia, and Hailey Brooks is gearing up for her first season playing softball at Cal State Bakersfield.
That’s three college-level athletes Autumn Moorcroft has to replace in her starting lineup, and she lost a fourth starter before the season began when McKenna Torrey, who led the Vikings from the point as an eighth grader last year, suffered a serious knee injury.
So there’s spots to fill, but so far in the season, there have been Vikings to fill them.
It starts with the two Marshalls left in the program. Delaney Marshall led the Vikings in scoring twice in their first five games, and Renzy Marshall — her younger sister — has led them once. Beyond those two, Taylor Schwartz and Abbie Lovan have also hit double figures at least once.
First-year coach Kelsey Lennox has a similar situation in Pe Ell, where the Trojans have to replace star Charlie Carper but bring back everybody else from a roster that included four eighth graders, three freshmen and two sophomores.
Now, everybody is a year older and a year more experienced. Junior Brookelynn King — still the only upperclassman on the roster — has taken on a greater role, as has freshmen Karli Phelps and Devyn Shannon.
Pe Ell Trojans
Coach: Kelsey Lennox (First year)
2022-23 record/finish: 13-9 (District tournament)
Returning starters:Brookelynn King, Karli Phelps, Madi Engel, Peyton Zock
Newcomer(s) to watch: Emma Kissner, Devyn Shannon
Mossyrock Vikings
Coach: Autumn Moorcroft (Seventh year)
2022-23 record/finish: 21-4 (District champion, State runner-up)
Returning starters: Abbie Lovan
Newcomer(s) to watch: Kendall Cournyer, Adyson Barrows, Renzy Marshall, Delaney Marshall, Chesney Schultz
Quoteable: “I’m excited for where our potential will take us.”
