PE ELL — Kelsey Lennox didn’t shy away from the question.
Even she knew the schedule her Pe Ell High School girls basketball team played last winter wasn’t strong enough. It was evident by the lopsided scores throughout the 21-0 record prior to the Class 1B state tournament.
The Trojans’ closest win in the regular season was 16 points. In the District 4 title game, the margin of victory was 12. Their only two losses were in the opening round and the Round of 12 in Spokane.
They didn’t get to 40 points in either matchup.
“We’ve talked about it a lot, our league is so weak, we weren’t prepared,” Lennox said. “We did not have a lot of teams to challenge us.”
With four starters, including the Columbia Valley League MVP in Karli Phelps, back in the fold, Pe Ell loaded up its non-league schedule with higher classification teams in the goal of getting it ready for a potential second straight trip to Spokane Arena in March.
When it was finalized, Phelps and teammate Madi Engel were excited about getting challenged on a semi-routine basis. Despite the 1-3 start, they’ve played Class 2B teams that have routinely gotten far in districts – Rainier, Crosspoint Christian and Onalaska.
The loss to the Loggers was the largest at 40 points.
“We know what to expect, we just have to live up to it,” Phelps said.
Pe Ell still has contests versus 2B runner-up Adna, 1B power Neah Bay and traditional 1A league champ Montesano. Lennox knew by putting the schedule together, the Trojans record wouldn’t be shiny.
To her, it’s a lost battle, but a potential war won.
“We do look a little different,” Lennox said. “We want to go beyond what we did last year.”
Within the CVL, the Trojans are the presumed favorites. Columbia Adventist and Wahkiakum likely will be the teams that could present a challenge. What opponents in the league still have yet to figure out is how to guard Peyton Zock.
The 6-foot-2 post returns after a first team all-league season that saw her average 12 points and 11 rebounds per night.
“You see a lot of tall girls not as athletic as she is,” Engel said. “She gets in the weight room, she is agile.”
Phelps, a multi-sport star for the Trojans, got plenty of offseason work. She wants to up her game to new heights.
“Just working hard in the gym in the summer helped,” she said. “Seeing that come to life is pretty awesome. It was a turning point for me; I wanted to see my full potential.”
Maisy King, also a first team all-league honoree, is also back, but questions on the depth behind those four are paramount. Ruby Magruder, Bailey Cox and Ava King have all seen court time. The Trojans haven’t gone deeper than two or three off the bench.
It has been the one area Lennox admits they’re still developing.
“Trying to get those girls more experience,” Lennox said.
The success Pe Ell experienced last season, winning league and district titles for the first time in 12 years, felt like an arrival. Now, it becomes an expectation to not only repeat those milestones, but take another step forward.
Win a state game? Win multiple games in Spokane?
All are on the table and all are realistic goals to Phelps and Engel.
“There’s been a different atmosphere in practice; everyone is dedicated,” Engel said.
Lennox isn’t shying away either.
“We want to be playing on Saturday, that is the ultimate goal,” she said. “That’s gonna make us better all-around, tougher (and) stronger.”
