Lady Raiders playing strong...

Wellington, Kan. — The Argonia girls basketball team [is] well aware of the expectations heaped upon it:

Here are a few things the Red Raiders have going for them at the moment:

•They are the defending Class 1A state runner-up champs, losing the state finals in overtime to South Gray 57-51 in Hays on March, 2010.
•They have posted an amazing 75-3 record over the past three seasons. These seniors have only experienced three losses.
•They are experienced with six seniors who rotate in and out of the lineup.
•They lost just one senior from last season, Davi Peetoom. All told they lost just 269 points of the 1,813 points scored in 2009-10.

Really, the only thing Argonia hasn't accomplished is a state championship.

And now that the Class 1A classification has been split into two divisions, things even look more promising.

So is 2010-11, their year? We'll see soon enough.

Argonia girls basketball synopsis:

Head coach: Dixie Brewster, fifth year. Argonia record: 88-14. Career record: 268-91.

Current season record: 4-0. Won the Caldwell Tournament last weekend.

Predicted finish in SCBL: first.

Senior starters:

Ali Brewster - 5-8, sr, guard. 12 ppg, 6 reb., 5 steals, 4 assist. Brewster says: "Ali is a team player and her ability to see the court is great. She passes extremely well and she loves to play defense."

Ashton Stansbury - 5-8, post. 14 ppg, 8 reb., 2 st., 1 asst. Brewster says: "Ashton has moves that stifle other teams as well as her coaches. She has a fun attitude and a strong desire to win. She was our leading scorer last season."

Morgan Tracy - 5-7, post. 5 ppg, 3 reb. Brewster says: “Morgan is a strong post player that will contribute to our team's success. She has the ability to score from both the inside and out."

Brandi Daerr - 5-6, guard. 3 ppg, 2 reb. Brewster says: "Brandi is tenacious defender and very quick. Her defensive efforts are impressive."

Lindsay Drouhard - 1 ppg, 1 reb. Brewster says: "Lindsay has seen limited playing time, but continues to be joyfully committed to our team. As a coach, I admire Lindsay for being so faithful to the team and for working to improve each day."

Brooke Boatright - 13 ppg, 7 reb., 5 steals, 1 asst. Brewster says: "Brooke is one of the best defenders in the state. She has great court sense and is an excellent shooter. Her competitive spirit is an asset to her unselfish play is to be commended."

Other starters: Jaci Peetoom, 5-6 guard, so., 3 reb., 2 st., 1 asst.; Rachel Simon, 5-6, gd., 3 ppg, 2 reb., 2 st., 2 asst.

What's right about Argonia girls: Everything. The girls have depth, experience, a good defense. Any potential starter has the ability to score in double figures any night, but each are willing to give an assist.

What's wrong about the Argonia girls: Nothing. Brewster said every player needs to know their roles on the offense.

Odds and ends: Argonia has 18 team members including six seniors, one junior, five sophomores and six freshman... Argonia hasn't lost a SCBL game since 2007... The Red Raiders have a tough draw, playing at the sub-state in Norwich. Norwich gave Argonia a good game the other night in the Caldwell tournament losing to the Red Raiders 49-42... Argonia has scheduled a non-league game with Goessel which will be Feb. 15. (Source: Wellington Daily News)