Frontier Basketball Preview: Frontier loaded with great women's teams

In NAIA basketball, the non-conference season is long. In fact, it’s really long. Teams began practice all the way back in early October, then spent three months playing games all around the country, even in Canada, too.

But, when the calendar turned from 2014 to 2015, the dawn of conference play finally came. And now, Frontier Conference women’s basketball is finally here. This weekend marks the start of Frontier play, and it will certainly be an interesting couple of months.

The Frontier is back to eight teams after Dickinson State departed for the new Northstar Athletic Association. And the league will experience more changes as this will be the final season of Frontier play for the Westminster Griffins. They will depart for NCAA Division II play next year.

And speaking of the Griffins, the big question mark in the Frontier is, can anybody dethrone them from their perch atop the league. Westminster has won six consecutive Frontier titles.

Another big question will be, just how many teams can the Frontier get to the national tournament? With five teams ranked in the NAIA Top 32 at the start of league play, it looks more and more like the league is one of the best in all of NAIA basketball. And, with how strong teams like Rocky Mountain College and UM-Western are looking so far, it certainly stands to reason that the Frontier is by far one of the deepest conference’s in the NAIA.

So, it’s going to be an exciting race to the finish line in the Frontier this season. And here’s a look at the league, team-by-team in their predicted order of finish.

WESTMINSTER

GRIFFINS

2014-15 Record: 10-1, Ranked

2013-14: 16-0, 23-3 (1st in Frontier, Frontier Champions, Reached NAIA Elite 8)

Head Coach: Shelley Jarrard (4th Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Tia Pappas, 5-7, G; Amy Krommenhoek, 5-7, G; Alli Winters, 5-8, G; Amanda Hacking, 5-11, F. The Griffins have dominated the Frontier for as long as anyone can remember. They've been an NAIA national championship contender for years, and have been nearly impossible to stop in league play. And their final season in the Frontier may be no different. Tia Pappas (13 ppg) and Amy Krommenhoek (13 ppg) lead another guard-oriented Westminster attack, and even though the Griffins lost some key players from last year's Elite 8 team, they have shown no signs of being anything but a Frontier champion again this season. So far, Westminster hasn't been the high-scoring team that it has been in the past, but the Griffins allow just 46 points per game on defense, and being almost unbeatable at home, it's going to take a monumental effort for any team in the Frontier to dethrone them this season.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE

WARRIORS

2014-15 Record: 14-2, Ranked

2013-14: 12-3, 27-6 (2nd in Frontier, NAIA qualifier)

Head Coach: Brian Orr (14th Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Tanis Fuller, 5-10, F; Caelyn Orlandi, 5-9, G; Mckenzie Heaslet, 6-1, F; Kelli Rice, 5-7, G. Like Westminster, LC State has long stood as a Frontier power. And like the Griffins, the Warriors and head coach Brian Orr seem to always reload after graduation. Gone is four-year starting point guard Brittney Niebergall, but LCSC returns Frontier Player of the Year candidate Tanis Fuller, who averages 18 points per game, as well as 2014 Freshman of Year Caelyn Orlandi. The Warriors don't have a lot of returning experience beyond those two, but what they do have is size, and that's something they've always built their teams around. This season, 6-1 forward Mckenzie Heaslet is the difference maker inside for an LCSC team averaging 78 points and 40 rebounds per outing. So, yet another trip the national tourney is certainly in the cards for the Warriors.

MSU-NORTHERN

SKYLIGHTS

2014-15 Record: 15-1, Ranked

2013-14: 10-6, 22-10 (3rd in Frontier, NAIA Sweet 16)

Head Coach: Chris Mouat (10th Season)

Outlook: Key Players A'Jha Edwards, 6-5, C; Taylor Cummings, 5-7, G; Natalee Faupel, 5-10, GF; Megan Feldman 5-11, F. The Skylights are coming off of a dream 2013-14 season and an NAIA Sweet 16 appearance. And, they return the nucleus of a team that finished third in the Frontier a year ago. Led by Frontier Player of the Year candidate A'Jha Edwards, and senior point guard and team leader Taylor Cummings, the Skylights have perhaps the most balanced inside-out attack in the league. They also play the best defense of anyone in the Frontier, allowing 46 points per game. If that trend continues, and Northern can find ways to win tough road games, the Skylights will be right in the thick of the race for the Frontier title when the end of February rolls around.

UNIVERSITY OF GREAT FALLS

ARGOS

2014-15 Record: 13-2

2013-14: 7-9, 17-14 (T5th in Frontier)

Head Coach: Bill Himmelberg (5th Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Erin Legel, 5-5, G; Lindsey Abramson, 6-2, F; Darah Huertas-Vining, 5-2, G. If anyone can match the Skylights' inside-out combos, it's the Argos. UGF is off to its best start in schools history, and with All-Conference guard Erin Legel and All-American forward Lindsey Abramson combining for 35 points per game, the Argos are now a legitimate threat to win the Frontier title. UGF is also the most explosive offensive team in the conference. The Argos come into league play averaging 81 points per game, and shooting 39 percent from the 3-point-line. They have five players averaging 10 or more points per game, led by Legel's 20 per night. So, if UGF keeps up that pace, and like Northern, can find ways to win at the likes of Westminster and LC State, the Argos won't just be in the hunt for a coveted national tourney berth, they might just win the Frontier crown.

CARROLL COLLEGE

FIGHTING SAINTS

2014-15 Record: 9-4

2013-14: 7-9, 14-14 (T5th in Frontier)

Head Coach: Rachelle Sayers (4th Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Bailey Snelling, 5-8, G; Kalee Junkermeier, 5-10, G; Katie Estey, 5-6, Jr. The Frontier might be very top-heavy this season, and among the top teams is Carroll College. The Fighting Saints haven't been a Frontier contender the last few years, but this winter might be different. Carroll's backcourt is loaded, led by seniors Bailey Snelling and Kalee Junkermeier, who combine to average 25 points per game. Carroll has a plethora of shooting guards too, and the Saints will light up the scoreboard from the 3-point line if they can. Carroll is also a strong defensive team, and if the Saints can get production in the paint, on both ends of the floor, they will certainly be knocking on the door of an NAIA tourney berth this season.

MONTANA TECH

OREDIGGERS

2014-15 Record: 8-7

2013-14: 7-9, 11-12 (T5th in Frontier)

Head Coach: Carly VanDyke (1st Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Mandy Machinal, 5-7, G; Kabri Emerson, 6-0 F; Kayla DeWit, 6-2, F; Martha Dembek, 5-9, G. Yet another team poised for big things this season is Montana Tech. The Orediggers graduated a four-time All-Conference center in Kelsey DeWit, but they picked up her sister, 6-2 junior Kayla DeWit. Add to that the return of 6-0 Kabri Emerson and the Diggers have an imposing front line. But senior guard Mandy Machinal, a three-time All-Conference performer, really makes Tech go, and she is averaging 15 points per game so far this season. The Diggers also finally have some stability at the coaching position. They went through a tumultuous coaching situation a season ago, but now, longtime assistant coach and former Chester great Carly VanDyke is the head of the program. VanDyke was a veteran assistant at Carroll, and most recently, Central Washington, and she brings a ton of experience to the Tech bench. And with her leadership, and Tech's talent, the Diggers will likely be the dark horse in the Frontier this season.

MONTANA-WESTERN

BULLDOGS

2014-15 Record: 8-8

2013-14: 8-8, 15-13 (4th in Frontier)

Head Coach: Lindsay Woolley (3rd Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Jenna Banks, 5-3, G; Sierra Higheagle, 5-10, F; Kaye Bignell, 5-9, F. Anytime you graduate a player as great as Sammi Bignell was, it is supposed to be a rebuilding year. But Western might just be in a different boat. While the Bulldogs certainly miss Bignell, they are still a team on the rise. The addition of forward Sierra Higheagle, who 11 points per game, has been good so far for Western. And while the Bulldogs might not have enough firepower to hang with the upper half of the Frontier this season, they will not be an easy win for even the best teams in the league this winter.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE

BATTLIN' BEARS

2014-15 Record: 7-4

2013-14: 0-16, 7-18 (Last in Frontier)

Head Coach: Wes Keller (1st Season)

Outlook: Key Players: Whitney Mitchell, 5-7, G; Mya Perrow-Donovan, 6-0, C; Jayde Lefevre, 5-7, G. The Battlin' Bears didn't win a single game in Frontier play a year ago. And head coach Brian Henderson retired. So it's easy to see why the Bears were picked to finish last this year. But, RMC has no intention of being in the cellar this winter. The Bears, under new head coach Wes Keller, are a fast, up-tempo squad averaging 78 points per game. They are led by guards Whitney Mitchell and Jayde Lefevre, who combine to score 27 points per game. RMC will shoot a lot of 3-pointers and push the pace on both ends of the floor, and that means, the Bears will be a pesky and talented team that no one will want to face in conference play.