Old foes renew rivalry

In the first week of the 2008-09 basketball season, teams are still trying to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses.

This weekend, there are a number of nonconference games to help the teams improve for league season.

When the Mitchell girls (0-1) host former 5A Metro rival Rampart at 7 tonight, both teams will get a feel for whether they are ready to contend in their respective leagues.

The Mitchell girls made strides last season, as they finished 13-10 overall and finished 11-7 in 5A Metro play. This year, the Marauders are in the 4A Metro, and hope to have tremendous success.

"The foundation of this team is intensity, especially on defense," said coach J. Christopher Earls. "We try to hold our opponents to low field goal percentages and force them to turn the ball over."

The Marauders return four starters from last year's squad, including last year's 5A Metro Player of the Year runner-up Brianna Johnson and senior forward Carlee Grove.

"We only lost two players from last year's team, so we should be much stronger this season," said Johnson. "We also have a lot of players with varsity experience, so that will help us be a deeper team too."

The Marauders are confident that they have a supporting cast that will help them contend in the 4A Metro, including one of the top defenders in the area, Cassandra Fernandez.

"We know that Rampart always is a strong team, and we have had some battles with them in the last few years," said Earls. "They are a very fundamentally sound team, and Nikki Kinzer is a great post player."

Rampart (0-1) returns a core of upperclassmen from a team that went 16-7 overall, and 13-5 in the 5A Metro. They are led by Kinzer and guards Chelsea Bradley and Kelly Hillick.

"We have put in a lot of time in the weight room this off-season to get stronger and quicker," said new coach Patrick Simpson. "In the past, Rampart has been all about the post play, but this season we want to add a transition game and get the ball up the court."

The Rams must match Mitchell's aggressive play and control the boards.

"We are definitely going to need to stop their penetration," said Simpson.

Also this weekend, the boys Rampart Tip-Off Classic boys round-robin tournament opens play for many teams including Rampart and Sand Creek, led by Damian Terry and Nick Fox.

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