The Mount Si Wildcats girls basketball team looks for significant improvement from an excellent 15-9 finish last season. The team, coached by Dirk Hansen in his eighth year, rolls out a freshman this season who is receiving a lot of attention all over the region. Madison Yakaboski is her name, and according to Hansen, she is something special in more ways than one.

“Well, first of all, Madison’s a really good person and she has a very coachable spirit, and she’s a pleasure to be around and she’s very well-received by her teammates, and she’s a real nice addition to this team,” he said. “Obviously, she has some talent, and she’s going to be a solid point guard in this league for years to come, and it’s just going to be fun for us as coaches to get to coach her, and it’s going to be fun to watch her play.”

Top returning athletes include the Eddings twins, Tara and Chelsie, both seniors. Other seniors include Nicole Remish, Jessica Marley and Kali Walker. Junior Monica Nelson, a star on the girls’ soccer team this fall, will see playing time on both the junior varsity and varsity squads, and with her speed, she will be someone to watch.

In addition to Yakaboski, freshman Katie Richards and sophomore Alisha Larion are key newcomers to this team. Larion is “going to be a huge impact player for us inside this year,” Hansen said.

Tara Eddings is excited about the upcoming season.

“I expect good things to come from this team. We have a lot of potential here,” she said.

It never ceases to amaze me how top-heavy the Kingco 3A is with so many good teams every season in girls basketball. It’s no different this year, and along with Issaquah, Bellevue and Newport as top teams to watch, Liberty appears to be on the rise as well. Hansen is excited about how his girls stack up.

“We have just as much of a chance competing for that Kingco championship as anyone, and we’re excited about that,” he said.

The nonleague schedule as always is tough, with many highly ranked opponents. Hansen is pumped up for the upcoming holiday tournament in Ellensburg against top-rated Sandpoint, Idaho. Hansen tried to schedule this team a couple of years ago, but inclement weather scuttled those plans.

“The Bulldogs,” he said. “I couldn’t stand them when I played football for Coeur d’Alene, and I still can’t stand them to this day. They were our rival team as an ex-Coeur d’Alene Viking, and it’s a heated rivalry, and the way I see it, once a rivalry, always a rivalry,” Hansen said.

The coach also indicated that he is attempting to secure a spot for the Wildcats in his high-school alma mater’s holiday event next year and if he does, he said he wants to “show his alma mater what it’s all about.”

The new $75 high-school sports fee, according to Hansen, did not affect his team’s turnout. That may be a good thing. With the talent and depth, they may go places.

“To be honest with you, we really want to get a win at the district tournament to at least give us a couple more games to get a shot at state, and I think our chances of qualifying for the state tournament are as good as it’s been any year this year with the squad that we have,” he said.

Remish is ready.

“I think as hard as we work, I think we can beat any team out there, but it’s going to take a lot of time and energy,” the senior said.

Mount Si opens its league schedule with a can’t-miss matchup home game against league favorite Issaquah on Dec. 6. That game will speak volumes about where the Wildcats go this season. Game time for that contest, and all other home contests, is 7:30 p.m.