Chiefs are aiming to win RVC title outright
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
There are three speeds the Big Foot girls basketball team wants to play at every time it takes the court.
Fast. Faster. Fastest.
And, it’s worked well for the Chiefs, to the tune of a 19-5 record last year and a share of the Rock Valley Conference South Division title.
That tempo won’t change again this year, as Big Foot coach Rick Schoenbeck plans to unleash a flurry of speed and a full playbook of varying defenses to keep the opposition guessing.
And running – a lot.
“We move the ball as fast as any team, I do believe, and our speed of our play (is the key),” Schoenbeck said. “We play fast, both offensively and defensively.”
Big Foot opened its season with a 73-46 nonconference win over Janesville Parker on Tuesday night (see separate story) – which was a bit of a pleasant surprise, Schoenbeck said, as he only had seven days to prepare his team.
“That’s not much (time),” he said. “I really had to evaluate talent, especially the freshmen and sophomores. I knew my juniors and seniors pretty well, but checking out these younger girls and com-paring them (took up) most of the week.
“Going into our first game I was a little nervous about being the most prepared that we could be.”
Four girls, who earned All-Rock Valley Conference North Division honors, return from a year ago.
Back from that group are seniors Olivia Briggs (honorable mention) and Brooke Wellhausen (honorable mention) and juniors Courtney Schoenbeck (first team) and Payton Courier (second team).
The rest of the roster includes senior Makalyn Peterson; juniors Lauren Paulsen, Yesenia Gonzalez, Zanzie Demco and Makenzie Lueck; and sophomore Sophie Foster.
Briggs and Courtney Schoenbeck will be co-captains this year, and Rick Schoenbeck said a third girl will be picked for each game based on her efforts in practice or in a previous game.
“(Briggs’ and Schoenbeck’s play) propels them into being role models and leaders for the rest of the team,” Rick Schoenbeck said. “And they are the outspoken ones on the team for sure.”
Because Big Foot is quick, but doesn’t necessarily have a big inside presence, the Chiefs do see some zone defenses from their opponents.
But if Big Foot can knock down shots, that won’t be an issue, Schoenbeck said.
“As long as you can shoot over (the zone), you’re going to eat it up,” he said. “If you can’t hit your outside shot, you’re in trouble.”
Schoenbeck said the goal is clear for this team, and that’s to take yet another step forward – but he knows it won’t be easy.
Top challenges for the Chiefs should come from Clinton, which features five of its top-six scorers who are back from last year, Brodhead and Beloit Turner, Schoenbeck said.
“We were 19-5 last year, and we’d like to better that,” he said. “The first goal is to win conference. Within the school rivalries, conference is usually the first and most important goal.
“We have the target on our back. We had a share of it last year. We want to win it outright this year, but people are going to be gunning for us every night, so we have to be ready.”
From there, getting deep into the postseason is next on the list, but again, that will not be a simple task, as very talented Whitewater and Madison Edgewood squads are among the teams in the way.
“We have a super tough regional and sectional,” Schoenbeck said. “Knocking off a Whitewater would be a great goal, hopefully running into Edgewood in the regional final or a sectional would be awesome and then letting the cards fall from there.”
