Lewis-Clark State women ready to join the basketball fray

Coach Caelyn Orlandi’s first season in charge of the Lewis-Clark State women’s basketball program was, by many measures, a tremendous success.

Her 2023-24 Warriors ran a 26-6 record, including a tied-for-second 19-3 mark in the highly competitive Cascade Conference. Nonetheless, Orlandi wanted more, and still does.

“I had big goals last year,” she said at a news conference on Wednesday. “I think if you would’ve asked me in December how far we could’ve gone in that national tournament, I thought we were a top-five team.”

Injury issues hampered the team late in the season, and the Warriors ultimately dropped a heartbreaking 65-62 NAIA Opening Round encounter with Jamestown (N.D.) — ending on a bricked buzzer-beater attempt from score-leader and three-time Conference MVP Callie Stevens — to miss out on a national tournament berth. Though Stevens has now graduated (along with other standouts like Maddie Holm), the team has a deep field of returners who Orlandi has ambition to lead at least one step further.

Picking on someone their own size

Having played exhibitions as visitor the past two weeks against Division I opponents Washington State and Idaho, LC State formally opens its season on Saturday in a 2 p.m. home game at the P1FCU Activity Center against Haskell Indian of Lawrence, Kan.

“I think we’re excited to play an NAIA team,” Orlandi said to laughter from her players. “Haskell likes to run. They like to go; they like to get a lot of shots up; scrappy defenders — and so, it’s going to be good for us. We’ve got to take care of that basketball.”

The contest will be part of a Tribal Nations Weekend event presented by the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge, during which Haskell will also face Northwest Indian of Bellingham, Wash.

LCSC hits the road for a trip to Arizona for a pair of nonconferene games the following week, then comes back for a homestand that will include a traditional rivalry game against Carroll on Nov. 15. The Warriors kick off Cascade Conference competition facing Walla Walla on Nov. 26.

Byrd taking flight?

One spark of early excitement for the Warrior women’s season has come from junior Sitara Byrd, who went off for 23 points in their exhibition against Idaho last week at Memorial Gym.

“She’s relentless every time she steps in on the floor,” Orlandi said of Byrd. “She gives 100% every time she steps on the floor. Every time she’s on the floor, something positive happens for us.”

The Gonzaga Prep product was already a substantial contributor for the Warriors two years ago as a freshman, and even more so last season, notching four double-doubles and leading the way with 24 points in a win over Oregon Tech and with 17 in the Jamestown game.

To put up 23 against a DI opponent, however, might suggest still further progress.

“I would definitely say I’m a little more confident this year, and that would just come from my team and coaches supporting me,” Byrd said.

Share, share, share

Orlandi envisions a team that will lead the conference in assists, and she has eager helpers toward that goal — none more than senior guard Ellie Sander, who was the Warriors’ assist leader with 118 last season.

“I’m really excited for this year,” Sander said. “We’re really good at passing the ball and finding the open player this year.”

Payton Hymas, Camden Barger and Darian Herring (who is this year’s assist leader so far at practices, according to Orlandi) will also be key to the effort.

“It’s just going to be, ‘Share the ball, share the ball, share the ball,’” Orlandi said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re going to be a lot of fun to watch.”

She would add that the character and interpersonal dynamic of her athletes make the gameplan a natural fit.

“I don’t coach work ethic,” she said. “They just bring it. When you have an awesome team, wonderful athletes, wonderful people, it makes your job easy.”

Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.