SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Losing a five-star prospect is enough to derail most high school programs, but not Central Valley.
“We just come into practice hungry for more,” senior Bears guard Aspen Henry said. “It doesn’t just stop with a state championship, we want it all.”
The now-Washington Husky Brynn McGaughey led CV to last season’s state championship, and the Bears kept it up with a now-wild 31-game win streak.
“It feels familiar,” Henry said. “The way we run things is like we are a winning program, we have that confidence and we have to play to that standard every day.”
With seven state titles, Central Valley always has targets on their backs, and even with four all-league players lost to graduation, the aforementioned standard remains high.
“They were all so amazing, and they really helped lead our team,” sophomore Bears guard Paige Patschkowski said. “So just having people fill those positions, I think we really need.”
“Wherever we land is wherever we land, but, I think we can be competitive, I think we can compete for a league title, and that’s the goal,” Central Valley head coach Jason Wilson said. “We’re just going to have to do it in a different way.”
Junior guard Drae Domebo is one of the breakout stars of this new team, shaking off old injuries to pace the Bears in scoring.
“It means a lot, because I’ve been working for this since I was little, it’s been my sport since I was young,” Domebo said. “So finally seeing all the hard work come and be acknowledged is great.”
“If she’s ever fully healthy, the league’s in trouble, and she’s already doing great, but she’s such a good kid,” Coach Wilson said. “She’s a hooper through and through.”
Now Central Valley returns to the grind, a long march back towards the tough Greater Spokane League season ahead.
“In middle school, I was like, ‘man, I get to go to CV. This is my time to shine’,” Patschkowski said. “It’s a good school, I’ve always known it, and now just being a part of it, it’s such a great experience.”
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