dthompson@journalnet.com

Gifted senior scorers powered Soda Springs and West Side to the 2A state tournament a year ago, but those players are now gone.

Malad and Grace both finished even in the conference and above .500 overall, but new coaches will lead both of them this year.

Aberdeen, while still in the midst of a program turnaround, is slowly improving under its second-year coach.

There's definitely a void in the 2A Fifth District this season, one that lends confidence to each of its coaches that their team could get to the state tournament.

And really, they all can build a case, because the league is cycling in plenty of new faces this season, which starts Friday.

Six of the league's top seven scorers from a year ago are gone. The only returner from that group is Grace sophomore Kylee Jensen, and she'll be playing for first-year coach Kevin Smith, who is hoping to refocus the team on ball-control and further the improvement the program made last year.

"We're trying to bring new energy, and the kids are playing with more excitement," Smith said. "They're working really hard."

The same could be said at Malad, where first-year coach Bob Sorensen needs to replace his team's top four scorers from a year ago.

But their tasks are far different from those at Soda Springs and West Side, where coaches are established.

Wade Schvaneveldt led the Cardinals to the state championship game last year. Soda Springs' depth - it returns seven varsity players - and the program's recent success made it the casual favorite among the league's coaches this year.

The Cardinals will be without Kendra Schwulst and Tayler Anderson, who averaged a combined 25 points last season, but junior Shelby Johnson and senior Carly Skinner both return as starters. Schvaneveldt expects the team's scoring to be more diverse, helping to compensate for its leading duo a year ago.

"I think we'll be competitive," he said. "We'll hit some road bumps along the way, but it doesn't matter how you start. It's how you finish."

That was certainly true for West Side a year ago. The Pirates lost their first four games and were 3-6 entering conference play. Then they rolled off seven wins in eight Fifth District contests and, ultimately, reached the state tournament via a play-in game.

Yet the Pirates will play without point guard Abbie Beutler, a first-team all-area player a year ago and the metronome for their offense. They'll also need to replace Christina Stegelmeier, who grabbed 10.2 rebounds per game last season.

Aberdeen didn't give those four teams much resistance a year ago - it lost all of its 18 games overall including eight in conference - but coach Nate Tracy said the team is starting to understand his style of basketball.

"They're a lot quicker in practice," Tracy said. "Last year we spent three-fourths of our practice running fundamentals and getting them ready for what we're going to do this year. They're through that, and they're starting to figure out the offense."

In a conference with so many questions, so many faces to replace, Tracy hopes his team can be competitive. In that, at least, the Tigers aren't unlike their league foes.

There's plenty left to be discovered by all five of the district's teams this season.

Capsules

Soda Springs

Predicted Finish: First

Coach: Wade Schvaneveldt

Last year's record: 14-11 overall, 5-3 conference

State tournament finish: second place

Returning seniors: 3

Key graduates: Kendra Schwulst, Tayler Anderson

Outlook: The Cardinals struggled without post player Tayler Anderson, who missed four games in the early going. They'll operate without her completely this year, but Paige, her freshman sister, might be able to step into that void immediately. Combined with the team's seven returning varsity players, the Cardinals should be deep enough to get back to the state tournament for the sixth straight year.

West Side

Predicted Finish: Second

Coach: Dan Line

Last year's record: 14-10 overall, 7-1 conference

State tournament finish: two-and-out

Returning seniors: 6

Key graduates: Abbie Beutler, Christina Stegelmeier, Brooke Coats

Outlook: West Side's trio of seniors from a year ago accounted for 30 of the team's 44 points per game, so finding a replacement for their scoring will be paramount. The Pirates will turn to six returning seniors - most of whom have played in two state tournaments already - to lead them back to the postseason in coach Dan Line's third year with the program.

Grace

Predicted Finish: Third

Coach: Kevin Smith

Last year's record: 14-7 overall, 4-4 conference

Returning seniors: 1

Key graduates: Shalise Sorensen, Natalie Lloyd

Outlook: The Grizzlies return all but three players from last year's squad, which started off 8-0 before slowing down in conference season. Among them is sophomore Kylee Jensen, who averaged 12.4 points per game as a freshman. With her, Grace is the only team in the district that returns its leading scorer from a year ago.

Malad

Predicted Finish: Fourth

Coach: Bob Sorensen

Last year's record: 12-10 overall, 4-4 conference

Returning seniors: 3

Key graduates: Larissa Crump, April Neal, Rachael Colton, Ashlee Blaisdell

Outlook: Bob Sorensen inherits a young team that will be without its top four scorers from a season ago. That list includes Larissa Crump, who led the 2A Fifth District in scoring with 13.8 points per game in the regular season. But Sorensen isn't walking into a situation blind; he was a Dragons assistant last year.

Aberdeen

Predicted Finish: Fifth

Coach: Nate Tracy

Last year's record: 0-19 overall, 0-8 conference

Returning seniors: 3

Key graduate: Rachael Ledford

Outlook: The Tigers were very much in rebuilding mode a year ago, and coach Nate Tracy admits they still are this season. But they're farther along on that track, and players are starting to understand what Tracy is teaching them. Keep an eye on junior Kalysta Jolley, who could give the Tigers a much-needed outside scoring threat.

-Dan Thompson