Sports - Local Colleges

POSTED: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008

WCC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Tyler, Finkbonner hoping for big seasons with Orcas

Tiffany Tyler always wakes up feeling arthritis in her back, but that doesn't keep the deceptively strong 5-foot-10 sophomore from catching Whatcom Community College's often taller opponents asleep in the paint.

Tyler recently scored an eye-opening 36 points and grabbed 14 rebounds against taller Highline, so she may have a hard time hiding the way she could as a freshman.

No one was happier than sophomore point guard Brittney Finkbonner to see the spotlight on Tyler, who recalls a pair of 20-point games at Mount Baker High School as being the offensive highlights of her life.

"All I could think of was 'get Tiff the ball. She's having the game of her life,' " said Finkbonner, who was a four-year varsity player at Ferndale. "But I knew Tiff could play like that. She has some great moves down low."

Tyler, who contributed 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game to WCC's 8-8 record in the North Region of the NWAACC last season, said her big game "definitely gives me more confidence."

"I really didn't feel I had that many points," said Tyler, who scored 27 in the second half and finished 13 for 25 from the field. "The team just called a lot of plays that worked for me. I'm just proud I could do that against a taller team."

Tyler has had to cope with arthritis since she was 16, so she is trying to make the most of whatever basketball she has left in her body.

"Everything gets tight no matter how much I stretch, so I'm not sure about my future in basketball, although I would be open to a college offer," said Tyler, who followed her big game with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals in a 71-60 victory over Blue Mountain.

"But I do know I want to become a high school coach. I really want to help coach my 8-year-old sister, Danielle."

Second-year coach Piper Nims, who picked Danielle as the team's ballgirl, said Tyler doesn't play like she has arthritis.

"I wouldn't know she was injured that way," Nims said. "I'm so proud of Tiffany and Brittney. They're the two hardest workers we have every day in practice. They give everything they have on every drill and they're very much team players."

Nothing comes easier for Tyler.

"When I play, I don't feel it, but then I have to roll out of bed, literally," Tyler said.

Finkbonner lost her father, Tom, when he passed away in 2006 during her senior year at Ferndale. That makes her especially glad to be bolstered by another Tyler - Tiffany's father, Dan Tyler.

"Dan Tyler's support really means a lot to me," said Finkbonner, who scored 16 and 17 points in her past two games for the Orcas (2-1), who next play their home opener Dec. 6 against Douglass College. "I really like how he supports our team."

Finkbonner, who can play either guard and averaged 8.7 points and 5.3 steals last season, will alternate at the point with freshman 3-point threat Jackie Zender from Sehome in the Orcas' double-post, three-guard offense. Zender, who scored 17 against Blue Mountain, is also a scorer in the backcourt.

Tyler might have scored more at Mount Baker if not for offensive star Courtney VanBrocklin, a four-year varsity standout who now plays as a true freshman for Boise State.

"Courtney was a good teammate," Tyler said. "She would always let me know what she was going to do. She never made me feel like I was playing in her shadow. I loved playing with her. And when it came time for a winning shot, I would have picked Courtney to take it."

Finkbonner feels fortunate to be playing basketball after taking a year off right out of Ferndale.

"I began college at Western because I won an academic scholarship," said Finkbonner, who plans to major in exercise science and wants to become a nuitritionist. "But I came to a few open gyms at WCC and decided I missed basketball. My scholarship donor allowed me to leave Western, but I'll get the scholarship back when I return. For now, I'm having a lot of fun here."

Nims also will count heavily on three other players from Whatcom County schools - freshman Taria Cicchitti from Ferndale, sophomore Kim Barton from Mount Baker and 6-foot freshman Tara Visser from Lynden Christian. Others who figure to contribute significantly include freshmen Deborah Hill from Vashon Island and sophomore transfers Leah Froehlich and Susanna Gill.

As usual, the Orcas are short but feisty. Visser and Tyler are the team's tallest players.

"It is exciting to have a 6-foot freshman," Nims said, referring to Visser, whom she hopes will develop enough to help the Orcas make the playoffs after they missed by one place last year.