MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week: Crater girls basketball

An old dog may not know any new tricks, but at Crater (Central Point) the old tricks still work just fine.

Girls basketball coach David Heard took over the program after going 6-17 in 2012-13 and the Comets are already in state title contention.

They are 22-2, ranked third in the state and with a win Saturday will move into the state's final eight.

It's reminiscent of when Heard first coached Crater from 1994-2002 and the Comets won six conference titles and played for three state crowns. He returned to coaching last season and Crater immediately improved to 18-10.

Now the school's athletic director, Heard said "It was just re-establishing a system and belief that we can be a championship team again. Having fun and building team chemistry have been the keys to building their confidence."

For their improvement, fantastic season and team chemistry, Crater is the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

Crater started the season with two straight wins before a 45-38 loss to Sutherlin. It then rattled off 19 straight wins before a 32-27 loss to Springfield with two starters out due to illness.

It then defeated previously unbeaten Henley 53-46 behind big games from Cheynne Scott (17 points, five steals), Courtney Setzer (15 points, seven rebounds and four assists) and Mallory Heard (seven points, six steals).

Crater has displayed the comeback spirit all season, never better demonstrated than a 52-47 win over Eagle Point late last month. The Comets trailed by nine heading into the final quarter, but went on a 16-2 run to take control.

Setzer had 20 points and eight rebounds in that one and junior Destiny Fahndrich added seven points, eight rebounds and five steals.

That ability to come back in a hurry is one of the team's strengths, Heard said.

"We are very quick and all five girls on the floor can handle it and shoot it from the perimeter," he said. "That allows us to pressure a lot in the fullcourt and create easy opportunities to score."

One of the leaders in the state is Setzer, a 6-foot senior who averages 18 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She shoots 51 percent from the field and 78 percent at the foul line. Fahndrich, a 5-10 junior, is a first-team all-conference guard who is very strong. She averages 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Heard was a second team all-conference standout who leads the team in assists and is third in rebounding and steals.

Scott, a 5-5 junior, was an honorable mention all-conference choice and averages 9.4 points and is second in steals and assists. She has a team-leading 30 3-pointers and shoots 78 percent from the foul line.

With such quickness and strong shooters, along with cohesion, Heard likes his team's chances down the stretch.

"We are capable of making a run at the state title," he said.