ARLEE - The Arlee Scarlets have been a talented young squad the

past few seasons and now they're ready to show they're an

experienced power in the district this year.

ARLEE - The Arlee Scarlets have been a talented young squad the past few seasons and now they're ready to show they're an experienced power in the district this year.

"I think we're a good solid squad," Arlee head coach Richard Bachmeier said. "We're finally going to be a group of upperclassmen."

Bachmeier added the team is about 25 percent ahead of where they were last year, and looking at the roster loaded with experience, it's easy to see why.

Sparkplug Whitney Malatare should be in four places on the court at one time this season since she has a seemingly limitless amount of energy. Mahalia Hendren should provide a solid post presence down low and Alexis Shick should be ready to go after recovering from a knee injury last season.

Kayla Desjarlais, Tiffany O'Neill, Skyla Perry, Jenna Pablo and Dezzi Denault will all bring experience and firepower to the table, meaning the Scarlets should have a depth chart with plenty of options to go to. In all, there are 11 returning players from last year's district tournament team.

"It makes a big difference," Bachmeier said. "You're not starting from square one. We're going to be really deep, I think we'll be a little quicker and we'll push the ball. We'll also play some zone defense, last year we did nothing but man-to-man."

The Scarlets will be looking at some tough competition in the district as both Charlo and Superior look like strong squads. Noxon, which was a contender last year as well, should also be strong.

"Our biggest challenge is to play consistently," Bachmeier said. "We need four quarters of consistent basketball."

The Scarlets' work ethic has shown in practice and it appears that Arlee is going to be one of the gritty veteran teams in the district.

"We're getting the experience and it's going to pay off," Bachmeier said. "I'm real impressed with the attitude and the hard work. We've had 12 real hard practices."

ARLEE BBALL

The Skinny - The Scarlets should be a veteran squad this year with plenty of speed and grit.

Keys to success - Arlee has a roster full of players with several years of varsity experience and they'll be coming into the season already used to playing alongside one another.

District battles - The Charlo-Arlee battles on the basketball court are going to be legendary this year, and will also hold huge implications as both teams should be in contention for the district championship.