In a guard-oriented league, the Kentlake High girls basketball team literally stands out.

With a front line of 6-foot-1 Morganne Comstock and 6-foot-3 Riley Butler to go along with 5-foot-9 guard Cody Sisco, the Falcons possess a decided height advantage over virtually every team in the South Puget Sound League North Division.

That size advantage, however, didn’t translate as well as hoped last season, when the Falcons finished 8-8 in league play and barely made the postseason.

“We really struggled to use our size last year,” said coach Scott Simmons said. “This year, our guards are good enough to take advantage of the size we have up front. What’s going to help is that we have three guards who will be in their second year (on varsity).”

Those guards include senior Katie Bubsey along with juniors Jessica Barnes and Erin Hunt. The experience that trio gained last year should pay big dividends this season, especially for Comstock and Butler, who blossomed into one of the North’s top 1-2 punches last year. Comstock averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds per game a year ago en route to earning first-team all-league status. Butler, who recently signed with Seattle Pacific University, was an honorable mention selection after averaging 6 points and 8 rebounds per game last season.

Add it up and there’s reason to believe the Falcons will move up the ranks this winter.

“When state rolls around, if we’re not in it, I’d say we’re better than 5 or 6 teams that are there,” Simmons said.