Muskies set to vie for all-Ontario berth

You want drama? They’ve got your fix.
You want excitement, mystery, fun, and talent? They’ve got your hook-ups.
The Muskie senior girls’ basketball team has been a perfect drug for local sports fans as their successful season so far will continue here this Friday and Saturday when they face either the FWCI Blue Bears or the Churchill Trojans in the best-of-three NWOSSAA showdown.
The first game goes Friday at 2:15 p.m. in the large gym, with game two slated for Saturday at 10 a.m. Game three, in necessary, will be played Saturday at 2 p.m.
The winner advances to the all-Ontarios in Belleville.
So, the stage is set, the players are in place, and the time couldn’t be riper.
No team from NorWOSSA has ever reached the all-Ontarios and the Muskies are all too familiar with the details heading in. And frankly, they couldn’t care less.
They don’t care about the past—they are looking at the present with their eyes set on the distant horizon. They are confident, restless, and most importantly, ready.
What do you hope to accomplish at NWOSSAA?
Laura Busch—We want to win! Play good games like we know we can, and have fun!
Ashley Whalen—Win! Have fun and have an awesome time.
Rebecca Cornell—Play our best. Put the championship to at least the third game and win.
MacKenzie Caul—Win! Play as hard as we can, and do it as a team.
Carley McCormick—I hope to win, of course, and have a good time.
Megan Soderholm—Win, play hard, and just play the game like I know we can.
What are some of the challenges facing the team?
Thea Semb—We need to keep focused on playing good basketball.
Natalie Desjardins—Thunder Bay . . . might think they have the advantage, but they don’t.
Janelle Williamson—Having 100 percent from everyone and keeping up the energy.
Busch—Clashing commitments and effort are a bit of a problem right now, but we’re working through it. I’m very confident that if we are together as a team, T-Bay won’t be a challenge.
Soderholm—Conflicts between one another is going to hurt us more than anything.
McCormick—The fact that in order to win NWOSSAA, our entire team must want to, not just me, everyone.
Do you believe the home court is an advantage and why?
Katie McTavish—Yes, having the home court is an advantage because we are used to playing on our court and the fans will help us out.
Talyor Harnett—Yes, it is an advantage because of the fans and our family will get a chance to watch and be a part of this experience.
Williamson—Yes, very much so. We know the court and having people’s support from home is a big pump-up.
Whalen—Yes! We know the court, rims, and backboards.
Desjardins—I believe we have the advantage because we practise hard and we know the court with our eyes closed.
Semb—Yes, because hopefully a lot of people will come and cheer for us.
Why should district residents come out and cheer for you?
Cornell—Because we are the best prepared and closest NorWOSSA team to ever be able to beat T-Bay. I can guarantee the games will be the most exciting b-ball ever played by the Fort Frances Muskies!
McCormick—We play not only for ourselves, but for our fans. If people are watching, it gives us a boost of confidence.
Caul—Because we’re the home team and it’ll be a good game.
Whalen—We are the senior girls’ Muskie b-ball team, which means we can play for ourselves and play for our fans. It makes playing more exciting when you have your fans out supporting the team.
Soderholm—We represent them and they should be proud of what we have accomplished.
Busch—Because we could very well be the first girls’ basketball team from here to go on to OFSAA, and it would be fun for our fans to be a part of that.
Harnett—Our team is strong this year and we have a good chance of winning, and cheering from our fans gets us more motivated to win.
Where is the confidence level of the team at?
Soderholm—We will do great if we pull our team together and get on the same page.
McCormick—I couldn’t tell you. We need to have more bonding time to make sure we’re all on the same page.
McTavish—We’re nervous, but excited. We know how we play and we just want to go out and do that.
Whalen—Not sure about this. We just gotta make sure we have the confidence in each other’s talent, and we all know we have the ability to win, we just have to do it.
Williamson—I think everyone’s a little nervous, but through it all we all know we can do it and we have earned it.
Busch—It’s varying a lot right now. We know that we have the ability to do it if we want it bad enough.
Is the two-week layoff an advantage or disadvantage, and why?
Desjardins—Advantage: get to practice more and perfect our plays. Disadvantage: we don’t get to show our work in games.
Cornell—Definite advantage because we can work on our weaknesses and get pumped up!
Harnett—Advantage because we have more time to work together and learn more plays.
McTavish—It’s an advantage because we have more practice time, but it’s a disadvantage because our last game experience would have been a long time before our first game of NWOSSAA.
McCormick—It’s both: more practice time is awesome but the issues it’s causing between our team is a disadvantage.
Caul—I think it’s an advantage. We can work on our plays and some that we might want to change after NorWOSSA.
To accomplish what you hope to do at NWOSSAA, what do you as an individual need to do?
Cornell—Be a leader and keep the team motivated towards our goals. Play hard every practice.
Soderholm—Support the team as much as possible and focus on playing the kind of ball that works for me!
McTavish—I need to go out and try to execute the plays and everything I’ve learned. I need to be supportive, and have fun!
Whalen—Get sleep, concentrate in practice, think mentally about the games. Work on rebounding and posting up moves.
Williamson—Work hard, play with 110 percent, and have fun! I need to keep my head in the game and encourage our team.
Caul—I need to play hard, encourage everyone on and off the court, and work on my shot.
And what does the team need to do?
Soderholm—Stop disagreeing over little things and focus more on playing the game instead of what is going on when they’re not on the court. That’s the only way to win—focus on the game!
MacKenzie Caul—Just keep playing the way we can play.
Harnett—Smile, have fun, and play our best because for some of us it’s our last year.
Williamson—Our team needs to have confidence in themselves and others, and just play our game!
Whalen—Work together, help each other out when needed, have some team bonding sessions. Stay mentally focused during practice, and being committed every night from now ’til game day.
Busch—Come together mentally and work as a team. We know we can do it, now it’s time to prove it!