They’ve got game: Seasoned seniors lead Cedarcrest’s Red Wolves basketball squad

Experience is the hallmark of the Red Wolves boys' basketball team this year. This group of seasoned athletes, led by six seniors and last year's league MVP, are counting on their experience to lead them through a challenging season, all the way to the Sundome in Yakima. "Everybody's going to be tough this year," said senior and co-captain Zach Taylor, a strategic guard whose strong shooting, averaging almost 20 points per game, helped him to the honor of Cascade Conference MVP last season.

December 5, 2012 2:37 pm
Clockwise from bottom left
Clockwise from bottom left

Experience is the hallmark of the Red Wolves boys’ basketball team this year. This group of seasoned athletes, led by six seniors and last year’s league MVP, are counting on their experience to lead them through a challenging season, all the way to the Sundome in Yakima.

“Everybody’s going to be tough this year,” said senior and co-captain Zach Taylor, a strategic guard whose strong shooting, averaging almost 20 points per game, helped him to the honor of Cascade Conference MVP last season.

“There are no bad teams,” added senior Brett Young during a recent practice.

Not many teams will have the same seniority as Cedarcrest’s, though, with half a varsity lineup of seniors who’ve played basketball together since grade school, backed up mostly by juniors.

“We have a solid team,” said head coach Mark Prince, “and these kids have high expectations this year.”

Last year’s near miss at the regional tournament — Cedarcrest lost by one point in a first-round heartbreaker — has inspired the 2012-13 Red Wolves, and their coach, to be ready for all comers, from their perennial rival Kings, to their love-hate match-ups with the Sultan Turks.

“It’s tough to play at Sultan,” said Taylor, because of their loud and audacious band and fans, “but it’s really fun to play there, too.”

Prince, in his second year of coaching the team, is setting his own expectations high, too.

“We’ve got a lot of good teams in the league this year,” he said. “We’ll have to bring our best game to every game. There are no gimmes.”

Cedarcrest boys basketball schedule

Wednesday, Dec. 5

• Cedarcrest at Lake Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 7

• Cedarcrest at Coupeville, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 11

• Cedarcrest hosts South Whidbey, 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 14

• Cedarcrest at Sultan, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 15

• Cedarcrest hosts Shorecrest, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 18

• Cedarcrest hosts Archbishop Murphy, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 22

• Cedarcrest at Mount Si, 7:30 p.m

=Wednesday, Jan. 2

• Cedarcrest at Granite Falls 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 4

• Cedarcrest hosts Kings, 7 p.m. 

Tuesday, Jan. 8

• Cedarcrest at Lakewood, 7 p.m. 

Friday, Jan. 11

• Cedarcrest hosts Coupeville, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 12

Tuesday, Jan. 15

• Cedarcrest at South Whidbey, 6:45 p.m. 

Friday, Jan. 18

• Cedarcrest hosts Sultan, 7 p.m. 

Tuesday, Jan. 22

• Cedarcrest at Archbishop Murphy, 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 25

• Cedarcrest hosts Granite Falls, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 29

• Cedarcrest at Kings, 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 1

• Cedarcrest hosts Lakewood, 7 p.m.