If someone walked up to Julia Dalan three years ago and listed off the accolades she’d eventually achieve at W.F. West High School, she probably wouldn’t have believed it.
Over 1,300 career points? Not in her wildest dreams.
Career leader in rebounds and blocks? No chance.
“I’m very honored to have it, but it is something I would not have expected,” Dalan said.
The 6-foot-3 junior forward for the Bearcats garnered her second straight all-area most valuable player honor in leading them to the Class 2A state tournament while averaging a double-double on the year with five blocks per game.
Dalan set single season school records by averaging 24 points and 15 rebounds per night. In W.F. West’s Round of 12 win at state, she set a single game record for boards with 25 while scoring 33 points.
“It was a lot better than I planned it to (be),” Dalan said. “I expected my role to be slightly different, not completely, I expected a change in pace. I was happy how I was able to stay consistent if not (get) better than last year.”
The current tally on Dalan’s career points is 1,326, 31 away from passing former teammate Drea Brumfield for the top spot in school history. Dalan may also reach the top-five in minutes played and games played.
“My coaches do a good job kind of hiding that from me; I am kind of in the dark,” Dalan said. “I just do what they tell me to and that gets me where I am at.”
Prior to any of that taking place, this summer is a primary focus.
Already with a handful of Division I offers, Dalan will potentially get more exposure on the recruiting trail heading into her senior season. Most coaches view the summer between junior and senior years as the most critical.
Dalan sees it, too. Yet even with more attention to see if she’s a good fit in a program, Dalan wants to find the balance between improving her game while conversing with coaches.
“This summer is the deciding factor where I can go and where I will end up choosing to go,” she said. “It is a big opportunity for me to work on my growth and see how far I can go.”
The end goal is to have a decision made by the November signing period so she can be tunnel visioned on bringing a trophy to Chehalis.
“Just having fun and not getting super overwhelmed,” Dalan said.
Karsyn Freeman, Adna
Freeman made an instant impact in her first season at Adna, averaging 24 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals, and 3.5 assists per game en route to winning C2BL MVP and leading the Pirates to a fifth-place finish in the 2B State Tournament in Spokane.
Gaby Guard, Adna
Guard’s sharpshooting ability helped her land on the All-C2BL first team, as she averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists per game to help lead the Pirates to a C2BL league title.
Hayden Kaut, Napavine
Kaut not only hit the game-winning three in the state championship game, but she averaged 16.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game to generate league MVP buzz and land on the All-C2BL first-team.
Keira O’Neill, Napavine
O’Neill’s dominance in the paint helped her also land on the All-Area team and the All-C2BL first-team, as she averaged 11.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.
Angelica Askey, Rainier
Askey helped Rainier stay in the top tier of the C2BL all season long, averaging 16.5 points, 3.9 steals, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game to lead the Mountaineers to a state tournament appearance in Spokane.
Karli Phelps, Pe Ell
Phelps, the 1B Columbia Valley League MVP, scored 12.6 points per game and added 4.5 steals, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game to help lead the Trojans to the regional round of the state tournament.
Tyler Venable, Black Hills
Venable made her mark quickly as a freshman at Black Hills, shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc and scoring 14.6 points per game while also averaging 2.5 steals per game to help the Wolves get within one win of the state tournament.
