After a few weeks to get acclimated to one another, it is showcase time for the Scorpions girls basketball team. Up next for Sedona, a tournament hosted by Flagstaff High School on Friday, June 14.
“The tournament is mostly comprised of 3A and 4A schools, so I believe we are the smallest school participating,” Sedona coach Kirk Westervelt said.
For the Scorpions, they finally get to put their knowledge of the Flex-offense to the test.
“If we call a play and our girl can beat your girl off the dribble, have at it,” Westervelt said. “Ideally, we have five multi-dimensional offensive players where multiple girls can run the offense and distribute the ball,”
Last season, Westervelt’s offense helped the Sedona Red Rock Junior High team accumulate a 27-1 record and third place finish.
“I would say we have seven capable ball handlers on our team who could run the offense,” Westervelt said. “Hopefully, we can get the most out of their talent.”
To effectively run the Flex-offense, the Scorpions must be on the same page at all times.
“We want the girls setting solid screens and knowing when to roll to the basket,” Westervelt said. “I want our team to be ball players and utilize their imaginations, I do not want to micromanage kids.”
With Sedona’s key veterans returning, the Scorpions first challenge awaits.
Scorpions sophomore Emma Beattie is one of the Sedona players that is recovering from Spring sports.
“Emma is a little beat up from her hamstring injury but she knows she can take as much time as she needs,” Westervelt said. “ We would rather Emma take a few weeks off and return to form than deal with an ongoing injury for multiple months.”
The Scorpions will return two reigning 2A Central all-region players in Beattie and Stephanie Medel.
“Stephanie and Emma’s length and versatility allows us to utilize them in a multitude of ways on offense and defense,” Westervelt said.
Twenty three Sedona high school girls participated in the Scorpions girls’ basketball informational meeting, including 16 underclassmen and incoming freshmen.
“I do not expect us to win every game but we will get after it on both ends,” Westervelt said. “We can get up and down the court and play solid defense so we will see how it turns out.”
Sedona also returns senior Mary Westervelt, who earned second-team all-region honors during the 2017-18 season.
After missing the majority of last season with an ACL injury, Westervelt is inching closer to her sophomore year form.
While Kirk Westervelt coaches the Scorpions girls high school basketball team, he also serves as the Director of Northern Arizona Select Program.
Northern Arizona Select features many players that will participate on the Scorpions varsity team next year.
“You can look dominant in June but it means nothing during the regular season,” Westervelt said. “We are more focused on improving our players and healing injuries suffered during the Spring sports season.”
Last season, the Scorpions finished 4-14, good for fifth in the 2A Central region and 31st in the state.
“Their record was not a reflection of the team last season,” Westervelt said.
“We play Page High School, Scottsdale Christian and Leading Edge next year so our schedule is pretty tough,” he said. “Each of those schools qualified for the Final Four this season so our work is cut out for us next year.”
After that, Sedona will participate in the Bradshaw Mountain Tournament on Tuesday, June 25.
Arizona Select currently has 13 2019 graduates who signed to play college basketball in the U.S. and Canada.
Ivan Leonard can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 131, or e-mail to ileonard@larsonnewspapers.com
