Raft River basketball: Sammie Montoya profile

In early April, I visited Raft River (Idaho) High School and spoke to Sammie Montoya, who was one of the players on the Trojans' girls basketball team. She was a fun interview, and impressive on and off the court. Here is the article that will appear in the team's basketball yearbook.

Sammie Montoya:

Her hustling play was a good reminder

of how the Trojans played this season

By Bruce Smith

Matchup

             Sammie Montoya was a good example of the personality the Raft River girls basketball team displayed during the 2011-12 season.

            “We were quick and scrappy,” she said. “We weren’t as tall as a lot of the other teams. Our phrase was ‘quick and deadly’ and our animal was a snake.”
            Montoya was a unique 5-foot-6 senior, and it showed in all of her interests.
            Off the court, she was the yearbook editor and used her creativity to make an impressive publication. She worked during the summers and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. She said she planned to attend the College of Southern Idaho and Idaho State in hopes of eventually becoming a dentist.
            On the court, she hustled all over. She said she was known mostly for her assists, but everybody else had different words to describe her.
            “Sammie was our defensive stopper,” said coach Garth Steed. “She was the girl who covered the opponent’s best player most of the time.”
            Mostly, she stayed out of the limelight. While Echo Hansen and Wynter Holtman were scoring most of the points, Montoya was the player behind the scenes who helped make it happen. And, despite her carefree attitude, she avoided getting badly hurt.
            Montoya played every game and averaged 2.6 points. Of the starters, she shot the fewest times. She said she preferred to get rebounds and then shoot. Montoya also used her long arms to tip passes and she dove for loose balls. She said she had the biggest bruises of any player, but that’s the way she learned to play.
            “I have a younger brother (Austin). He was my biggest fan. He would come to my games and videotape me and I would do the same for him. We gave each other tips,” she said. “We also played a lot. I would usually outplay him, but he plays dirty.”
            Montoya had a high game of six points three times – vs. Rockland, Oakley and Glenns Ferry. She said her best came against Oakley. She said the Hornets were Raft River’s biggest rival.
            “I really, really wanted to win those games,” she said. “They were always ready to play us.”
            Coming into the season, she didn’t know what to expect. The Trojans had lost their best player (Hailey Greenwood), and the other players realized they had to step up. Montoya was asked to be one of three players to rotate at point guard, which meant learning new plays.
            It was a difficult start.
            “We had to learn to play together and, at first, it was confusing,” she said. “Our plays were hard. Coach would always keep pushing us and was always positive.
            “I liked bonding with the girls and playing the games. We really didn’t have much drama.”
            The only drama came at practice. Besides the plays, the Trojans had to handle the season with just 12 players. It became apparent that the girls had to be in good shape to remain active on the court. Montoya said she learned to dread practices.
            “It was good until the end,” she recalled. “Then coach would get his stopwatch and, when he did that, all of our hearts would stop.”
            The games, however, made up for it. Besides the Oakley wins, Montoya said she also had lasting memories of playing Hagerman, which was a much taller team. Twice in one game, Hagerman’s biggest player, Aly Sauer, fell on Montoya.
            “The second time, she rolled on me, but I kept getting up,” she said.
            Not surprisingly, that’s a good description of how the team felt. The Trojans didn’t make it to the state tournament this season, but it was still a year filled with fond memories.
            For Montoya, each bruise was a proud reminder.