Editor’s note: The East Oregonian seeks to recognize some of the top prep basketball talent. Today we salute the girls of the hardwood.

The 2003-04 basketball season has come to a close, but some players were able to complete seasons that not only helped add to their team’s success, but earned special recognition among their Eastern Oregon peers.

Player of the Year

Mackenzie Larson, So,

Pendleton

It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Pendleton’s Mackenzie Larson is still just a sophomore because she’s such a dominant player on the court. Although she plays in the Intermountain Conference, there were plenty of times it looked as though Larson was in a league of her own, which earned her the East Oregonian player of the year award.

The soft-spoken sophomore finished second in the IMC in scoring, averaging nearly 14 points a game, while helping the Bucks to their first state tournament appearance since 1997.

An all-around excellent athlete, also excelling at volleyball and track, Larson doesn’t have any doubt which of the three sports she prefers.

“Basketball’s my favorite,” she said. “I like track and volleyball, but basketball’s something that I really enjoy. It’s easier for me to work at.”

Larson is such a natural athlete that she would be a very good player without too much effort, but it’s her drive and determination that sets her apart from others. She did have a pretty good example to follow in her older brother, Drew, who is now playing football for the University of Oregon.

“I think he taught me how to work hard and gave me the right attitude to play sports with,” she said. “I looked up to him a lot. He’s always helped me and always supported me.”

An IMC first-team selection, Larson is at her best in the running game, where she often left opponents standing flat-footed as she drove by.

“I think it helps that I’m fast because you don’t have to be so technical sometimes,” she said. “You can just run past people.”

Larson had plenty of varsity experience heading into this season after receiving quite a bit of playing time as a freshman, something almost unheard of at a Class 4A school competing for a league title. Those minutes, along with what she learned prior to the start of the school year, made it possible for her to have an immediate impact.

“I think playing the summer before my freshman year helped to get a lot of the kinks out and it gave me a head start going into it,” she said. “I knew a lot of the offenses and just the way (coach Todd Zimmermann) Zimm wanted things run. He was more comfortable with me and knew my style too.”

Although not even halfway done with high school Larson already knows what she wants to do after graduation.

“I want to go play basketball somewhere,” she said. “I don’t really have like a favorite school that I want to go to. I want to play D-1 somewhere hopefully. So if that’s an option I want to do that.”

Marissa Hammond, So.,

Pendleton

After showing some flashes of brilliance in her freshman season, Pendleton’s Marissa Hammond came into her own this season, averaging nine points a game and giving the Bucks a huge influence inside the paint.

Opposing coaches were so impressed with her that she was named a first-team IMC selection.

“I know she’d been working really hard year-round to get a lot better and you could tell this year,” Larson said. “She made first team, which is awesome and so exciting for her, she deserves it because she works hard and she’ll continue to get better.”

Jasmine Campos Sr.

Dauna Borden, Sr.,

Umatilla

The inside/outside tandem of Jasmine Campos and Dauna Borden was a key factor in the Umatilla Vikings advancing to the state playoffs for the first time in seven years. The Vikings came within two points of being the first team to defeat Pine Eagle and continue on to the state tournament.

Campos was one of the premier outside shooters in the CBC, averaging double figures during the regular season and scoring 53 points in four post-season games. A CBC first-team selection, Campos is excellent handling the ball, something crucial to the success of teams in the press-happy Columbia Basin Conference.

“She’s our spark plug,” Umatilla coach Wendel Kreder said. “She’s a fiery, no-nonsense player.”

Campos was selected to play the Media Classic all-star game, which pits the best players from the Tri-Cities area against the top players from the Yakima region.

Borden, who averaged more than 10 points a game during the regular season, exploded during the post-season, averaging more than 19 points a game and was a force on the boards.

Borden, who is now playing on the Vikings’ No. 1 doubles tennis team, will continue her career at Columbia Basin College.

Kayla Johnson, Jr.,

Kayla Paredes, Jr.,

Weston-McEwen

Having one of the two Kaylas on your team is a unfair advantage, having both of them almost seems criminal, as the tandem of Kayla Johnson and Kayla Paredes led the TigerScots to another successful season and a top 10 ranking.

“I think the two of the them led our team this year both offensively and in defensive intensity,” Weston-McEwen coach Jeff Griggs said. “They showed why they were both selected first team by opposing coaches. They’re a real compliment to each other.”

Johnson did some of everything for Weston-McEwen – score, rebound, pass and play defense, but her greatest strength may be the intangibles she brings with her, namely her intensity and refusal to lose.

“She comes across as being a little more outspoken than Kayla Paredes,” Griggs said. “She has a great drive and desire to do well.”

Paredes was a dominant player inside the paint for the TigerScots, forcing opponents to think twice before taking the ball to the basket.

Griggs said don’t let Paredes’ soft-spoken nature fool you – she plays to win.

“She comes across as being a little more laid back, but in her own way she’s very intense,” he said. “She plays very aggressive basketball.”

Ally Robles, Jr.,

Pilot Rock

Ally Robles is the type of player that you have to watch in action to truly appreciate everything she does on the floor. Columbia Basin Conference coaches likely saw all they wanted to, and then some, of Robles, as they named her to the CBC first team.

“She’s such a great competitor,” Sherman coach Ron Townsend said. “She’s all over the court on both ends.”

Robles averaged nearly 12 points a game, but her greatest asset is her intensity and hard-nosed in-your-face style of defense that earned the respect of the opposition.

Natalie McElligott, Sr.,

Ione

Every team that the Ione Cardinals played came into the game with the intention of shutting down Natalie McElligott, but few succeeded, as the Ione senior averaged just under 20 points a game on her way to being named to the Big Sky Conference first team.

“If you’re going to have any success against Ione you’re going to have to slow down Natalie,” Dufur coach Jack Henderson said.

McElligott, a 5-9 point guard, had plenty of big games during the season, including a 38-point outburst against Cascade Locks..

“We’re not used to seeing a point guard her size,” Crane coach Stub Travis said. “She does a lot of things that can hurt you.”

Jessica Snyder, Sr.,

Condon

The season started on a positive note for Jessica Snyder, as she scored a game-high 16 points to help lead Condon to an upset of the eventual second-place finisher at the 2A state tournament, Sherman, and didn’t end until she had earned a spot on the Class 1A state tournament first team.

After a successful regular season that saw her earn Big Sky first team honors, Snyder really came to life at the state tournament, as the Blue Devils returned home with the fifth-place trophy. Snyder’s 18.7 points per game led all tournament scorers and she finished fourth in rebounds, with 9.7 per game, and her shooting percentage of .512 was also fourth-best among all players.

Honorable mention

Briawna Mueller, Sr., Hermiston; Jessica Zita, Sr., Echo; Mykael Bothum, Jr., Hermiston; Meghan Bergstrom, Sr., Hermiston; Jennifer Greenfield, Sr., Wheeler; Amica Vogler, Sr., Pendleton.