20 Mid-Columbia high school basketball players to keep an eye on this season

High school basketball fans should be excited about the season beginning this week with contests that count.

There are plenty of outstanding teams from the Mid-Columbia that should have a legitimate chance of going deep into the postseason come February and March.

Earl Streufert’s Richland boys basketball squad has four players that could vie for all-conference honors in Josh Woodard, Luke Westerfield, Jack Forbes and Landon Northrop.

Meanwhile, Chiawana’s girls, with new head coach Gary Jonas, look to be a serious contender for the Washington state 4A title. Malia Ruud and Kaia Foster are just juniors, while Sunnyside transfer Baylee Maldonado should all lead the way. And what’s more scary about this team: there are no seniors on the roster. So they could be good for a long time.

Prosser’s boys and girls should again be competitive a season after placing fifth and third, respectively, at the 2A state tournament in March in Yakima.

And over in Burbank, Todd Schumacher’s boys will have a good chance at playing for the state 2B championship in Spokane.

If you have no allegiance to any team, and just like to see good basketball talent, here are 10 boys basketball players to keep an eye on this season:

• Peter Dress, senior, Kamiakin. He’s already committed to Embry-Riddle in Arizona, and he can shoot from deep. Dress also can shoot from around the key, and he’s a solid rebounder. If the Braves can put together a solid nucleus around him, Kamiakin can go deep.

• Juniors Tristan Frimodt and Quincy Scott, Columbia-Burbank. There is no doubt these guys could play at any level of classification. They’re gym rats who can run, shoot and score. Frimodt can slash to the basket, while Scott might be more deadly from the outside. The Coyotes are a 2B team that are well worth the price of admission. A loaded non-conference schedule against teams like Davenport and Lake Roosevelt should have them state tournament ready.

• Dane Gardea, senior, Walla Walla. The Blue Devils have some talent back this season, and Gardea leads the way. The guard is fast and can jump. He runs in the relays for the Blue Devils during track and field season, and has cleared 6-4 in the high jump.

• Koby McClure, junior, and Kory McClure, senior, Prosser. This brother combo helped lead the Mustangs to a fifth-place finish at the 2A state tournament in Yakima. Koby averaged 16.2 points last season, while Kory added 12.5 points.

• Grant Olsen, senior, Hermiston. Last season, as a junior, he averaged an MCC-best of 23.2 points a game. The 6-5 guard has had offers from Pacific University in Oregon, as well as George Fox University. New head coach Brian Edwards will find a way to build the offense around this standout.

• Jesse Tijerina, senior, Southridge. As this 5-10 guard goes, so do the Suns. Tijerina led the team in scoring last season with an 18.8 point average. He’s a slick scorer who can make his way to the basket. But if a defender sags back, he’ll hammer the three.

• Seniors Josh Woodard and Luke Westerfield, Richland. The Bombers should be loaded, and these guys are two of their best. Woodard is the returning MCC boys basketball Player of the Year — just coming off of being named the MCC football Offensive Player of the Year — and averaged 19.2 points last season. Westerfield is 6-10 and will man the paint on both offense and defense. He’s got a great shot from 15 feet in and can block a lot of shots. While the Bombers can run and gun — and they will — they can also get into a great halfcourt offense with Westerfield down low. Oh yeah, both Woodard and Westerfield were members last season of the All-MCC defensive team.

Girls basketball

10 girls to watch:

• Lay’lee Dixon, junior, Prosser. There are plenty of good Prosser girls basketball players to watch, which is why the Mustangs could battle two-time state champion Ellensburg for the 2A CWAC crown this season. But Dixon is a blast to watch. She can shoot from the outside, can take it to the basketball, play in the post and she can rebound and play defense.

• Juniors Kaia Foster and Malia Ruud, and sophomore Baylee Maldonado, Chiawana. Foster is a great inside-outside player for the Riverhawks, and she’s being recruited by a large number of schools. She’s been able to shoot the three since her freshman season. Now she can rebound and pass quite well too. Ruud has been a dominant inside post player for Chiawana since she was a freshman. She’s had international basketball experience the past two years playing for Samoa, and her 18.9 points a game was No. 2 last season in the MCC. Great rebounder and passer too. Now, let’s throw in Maldonado, who transferred in from Sunnyside this summer. As a freshman last season, she was named to the first team of the All-Columbia Basin Big Nine girls basketball squad.

• Haylee Johnson, senior, Kennewick. She was a first-team All-MCC selection last season, averaging 15.5 points, and she’s already committed to playing basketball and running track next fall for Eastern Oregon University. She and junior Dylyn Dress will be the leaders on a very experienced Lions team this season.

• Lauryn Madsen, senior, Warden. Two seasons ago, she was a big part of the Cougars’ 2B state championship. Last year as a junior, she helped lead Warden to a third-place finish. Madsen has already signed her letter of intent to play for UC Irvine next year. Maybe Warden is too far of a drive, but the Cougars will play this season in the Tri-Cities area at Columbia-Burbank, River View and Tri-Cities Prep.

• Lynnea Moran, senior, Hanford. Believe this is year seven of a Moran sister on the Falcons roster. Older sister Ileana plays at Rocky Mountain College in Montana. Lynnea is a slick shooter who can also find her way to the basket on the drive. She averaged 15.4 points a game last season.

• Izzy Simmons, junior Hermiston. Last season as a sophomore, Simmons led the MCC in scoring at 19.1 points a game. Great shooter who can drive to the basket. Along with fellow junior Ellie Heidemann, Simmons should help lead the Bulldogs to a successful season.

• Nicole Wertenberger, senior, Kamiakin. The Braves lost a lot of talent to graduation last season. But Wertenberger — along with senior Camia Howard and junior Aubrey Herrin — brings some talent back for head coach Lane Schumacher. While Howard and Herrin battle on the inside, Wertenberger will be a key from the outside.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.