West Branch has high hopes for trip to state tournament

By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BELOIT -- Whenever a high school basketball team has a major college prospect on its roster, it usually causes major distractions throughout the season.
Some coaches aren't happy about those distractions.
Chuck Campbell, coach of the West Branch girls team, thinks it's a plus for his girls.
West Branch goes into the 2003-04 season as the favored team in the Northeastern Buckeye Conference. The reason for that is the play of senior Ashley Armstrong and junior Tori Arndt.
Leaders
Armstrong, a 5-8 guard, averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 assists per game last season as the Warriors posted a 22-3 mark while winning their fifth straight NBC title with a 13-1 record.
Arndt, a 6-2 junior forward, averaged a team-high 13.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a sophomore.
Armstrong recently signed an early letter-of-intent to play at the University of Dayton.
Arndt has her pick of just about any school in the country when she's ready.
"She's been recruited by Kentucky, Kansas State, Wake Forest, Clemson, Duke, most of the Big Ten, all of the MAC, Louisville, Xavier and Pitt," Campbell said.
Has all this exposure been a distraction to his team?
"Actually, it's been a plus," Campbell said. "We always feel that when these coaches come in to watch our practice or our games that it gives us the opportunity to showcase some of our other players, as well.
"Most of the top Division I schools are looking at Ashley or Tori, but some of the smaller Division I schools could just find somebody else here that they'd like to have."
Talented team
The Warriors return six letterwinners and four starters off last year's team, which went to the regional finals in Division II.
Campbell knows that it's going to be Armstrong and Arndt who will be leading the way.
"Ashley is the senior, the daughter of a coach, and our director of what goes on during the game," Campbell said. "She's the vocal leader out on the floor, while Tori is the silent leader. She's just a junior and she leads by example."
Campbell, who is in his 16th season with the Warriors, has only three seniors on this year's team. The others are 5-5 guard Ellie Geiger and 5-5 guard Crystal Bryte.
The other two letterwinners are 5-9 junior Stacy Braden and 5-10 junior Evelyn Woods.
"'This team is experienced, they've got strength and speed, but what impresses me most is their want to win," Campbell said.
"If we stay healthy we should be able to reach our goals of winning a sixth straight NBC title and going one step further than we did last year in the tournament."
No other team in the conference has ever won six straight league titles. One step further for the Warriors in the postseason would lead them to the Division II state tournament in Columbus.
mollica@vindy.com