Basketball Preview: Warriors plot postseason push

The Arlee Warriors overcame a number of obstacles last season. After making four straight State C championship appearances, they moved up a classification to the Class B ranks. The caliber of competition among Western B squads has been of such strength as of late that prior to last season, area teams had competed in the State B championship the past half dozen years while winning half of those.

Adapting to the departure of their preceding coach Zanen Pitts ushered in a new era. Graduation of seasoned players coupled with low initial turnout delayed the honing of their competitive edge. Further compounding the transition was a delay in the return of their leading scorer to recover from medical intervention, while availability of others was delayed by the required completion of minimum practices.

Guidance provided by veteran former Salish Kootenai College men's coach Zachary Conko-Camel at the helm helped smooth some of the bumps on the road of transition, but not all of them. So many variables would require time to adapt.

The Warriors prevailed in the majority of their nonconference slate. Three loses came by five points or less, one by a mere point, another extending to overtime. But Arlee didn't win a single conference match until a thrilling overtime play-in victory that seemed to spark their postseason run. They fell twice more to conference opponents to place fourth at the district tournament. But thereafter it seemed that proximity to the playoffs piqued their ingrained pedigree to excel at postseason play.

The Warriors swept their way through the Western B Divisional, mastering top-seeded 7B Eureka, sinking two-time defending State B champion Bigfork and then locking down the Wardens of Deer Lodge in the championship to claim the title of Western B champs against a team that had beaten them handily thrice before. Arlee didn’t place at state, but they were competitive in their first trip to the State B stage after a 25-year absence.

Last year's rendition of the Warriors graduated their two-time all-conference player and leading scorer Cody Tanner. The half dozen seniors among the squad accounted for over two thirds of Arlee's point productivity. As a consequence, returning players will be called upon to step into new roles to fill shoes created by vacancies.

Most prolific among returnees is junior Levi Fullerton, who minted a new varsity career high 29 against top caliber competition in the elimination match at state. Likewise capable of picking up some of the scoring slack will be senior Micah Johnson, who factored into the scoring in all but four games last season. The trio of Amare Vanderburg, Joe Parisian and Jace Arca notched century club credentials on combined collaborative effort, illustrating an aptitude for further point production with expanded roles. The remainder of the roster will be called upon to assume expanded roles.

First year head coach Shawn Matt takes the helm of the Warrior basketball program, the first former Warrior to assume the mantle of the Arlee basketball program. In addition to the current pool of returnees, coach Matt will be able to draw upon an influx of younger talent with skill sets as the former middle school team of now incoming freshmen went undefeated last season.

The Warriors are slated to inaugurate their schedule when they host Florence on Thursday, Jan. 7, then host Mission on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Arlee Warriors

Coach: Shawn Matt (first year)

Assistant coaches: Francis Brown, Matt Santay

Departures: Cody Tanner, Billy Fisher, David Haynes, Zach RunningCrane, Troy Tewawina, Trey Tewawina.

Returning: Seniors Micah Johnson, Sam Phillips, Sage Nicolai and Amare Vanderburg; juniors Levi Fullerton and Joe Parisian; sophomores Charley Crawford and Larenz SmallBoy; and freshmen Jace Arca and Ben Harlow.