Local hoopsters compete in Winnipeg

The Muskie Midget girls’ regional basketball squad competed in the Manitoba spring provincial championships in Winnipeg over the weekend and finished with a 1-2 record.
Head coach Dan Bird said he was pleased with the results despite the losing record.
Bird was forced to put a young and inexperienced team on the court due to the conflict between the Muskie girls’ soccer season and the tournament. And he was happy with the way it developped over the course of the weekend.
The Muskies opened the tournament Friday night and found themselves in a tight defensive battle with Crocus Plains of Brandon, Man.
The Muskies built a good lead in the first half but were unable to hold on late in the game, falling 20-17.
Taylor Meyers led the Muskies with six points.
On Saturday afternoon, the Muskies faced the Neelin Spartans. Once again, the game was a defensive struggle as both teams forced their opponent to settle for outside shots as neither was able to penetrate the zone.
And once again, the Muskies gave up a late lead, coming out on the wrong end of the 22-20 final score.
Meyers was the Muskies’ top scorer again, leading the way with 12 points.
In their final round-robin game against Flin Flon, Man., the Muskies came out strong and passed the ball well. The good ball movement was reflected on the scoresheet as every Muskie except for one tallied points.
Fort Frances dominated their opponents from start to finish, earning a 33-6 win. Jamie Holliday led the Muskie attack with nine points.
Bird said he was happy to work with some new players, whom he hopes will try out for the junior Muskie squad next season.
He added that while he felt they should have won more games, there were some valuable lessons learned in each of the contests. And Bird believes the lessons will pay off next year when the team gets ready for the fall season.  
The team would like to thank John Gibson, Gerry Parent, Shelly Gustafson, Seven Generations Education Institute, the people and supporters of Muskie Basketball, and my assistants, Lindsey Wachter and Michelle Cournoyer.