THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

The Whitney High girls basketball team tied for third in the Capital Valley Conference in 2016-17. They made it to the second round of the section Division II playoffs and Round 1 of the Nor Cal Regional Tournament, and the Wildcats did it with just one senior on the team. In her second year, head coach Sydney Gatson led the Wildcats to their best season to date, going 24-5. That year, the ‘Cats had seven seniors, who left a vacuum behind at graduation. In 2015, to fill that vacuum Gatson brought up four freshmen and a sophomore named Kailee McCarrick. A freshman on that 24-5 team, McCarrick and those four freshmen are still playing. “I think last year as coaches we had big expectations of our team, but I think this year the players have big expectations of themselves,” Gatson said of the change she has seen in her core players. “I think that this core group that we’ve had the third year with us, and in Kailee’s case, the fourth year with our program. I would say the bond is still there with that Band of Sisters.” Those four freshmen, now juniors, are Jada Lewis, Emily Brustman, Mazie Macfarlane and Mackenzie Macfarlane. Lewis and McCarrick led the team in scoring and Brustman was the No. 2 rebounder on the team. The Macfarlane twins, better known for softball, ranked third and fourth on the boards. But last year, where the team had just nine players; this year the varsity has grown to 12. That should relieve some of the pressure and allow the Wildcats to play with less restraint. “It’s very cool because, obviously, we have a pretty strong team returning from last year. The new players on the roster really just add some elements that were missing last year,” Gatson said. “The biggest thing is pressuring the ball full court. We played a lot of half-court defense last year, which isn’t necessarily our identity because we have a very fast team, great anticipators, and they just love to get out and really bother the ball.” Gatson said the girls have been working out in the offseason and have come in a lot stronger this season. She said they are playing with passion and have set their goals high. Although her core players have always bonded, Gatson said the team’s chemistry is also flowing into her newer players. The ‘Cats took a trip to Tahoe just for that purpose and the results have not disappointed. “Every year I think, oh, I can’t love a team anymore and here we go again,” Gatson said. “It’s astounding to me how much they love the team building.” Of course, reaching their goals won’t be easy in the Capital Valley Conference, coupled with the thought they will be in the Sierra Foothill League next season. Lewis and McCarrick were all-league last season, but only two of the players selected in the CVC were seniors. Gatson said Antelope and Cosumnes Oaks will continue to be strong, and she heard Del Campo is much improved. But in a scrimmage last weekend against Oak Ridge, Franklin and Sacramento, Whitney held their own – including a 20-point beat down of Franklin. Now in their third year together, the Whitney players seem to not only know their individual roles, but their team roles as well. Although they are not a tall team, the fact remains they have never been. “I love where we’re at,” Gatson said, who lists Doug Brustman among her assistant coaches now. “It’s just a different relationship that we have with our players now. We’re just able to do more with them.” Gatson has also been working hard on building her feeder system and has made huge strides. Not only does she have a strong junior varsity program this year, she formed a 6-8 grade youth team during the spring. “We’ve got some strong players coming up that I’m excited about. So we want to build on that,” Gatson said. “With the players we’ve to coming up, we’ve got a lot of talent that’s coming up behind us.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

WHITNEY GIRLS BASKETBALL

JIM LINSDAU

Placer Herald | 11/30/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Linsdau