Senior hoopsters off to 2-0 start

Long delays are becoming the norm when the Muskie senior girls’ basketball team travels to Dryden—but then, so is winning.
Returning yesterday to the scene of their NorWOSSA championship victory last season, the Muskies had to wait eight hours from the time they climbed aboard their bus until the opening tip against the host Eagles.
But if the wait drove them to distraction, the black-and-gold (2-0) did a fine job of hiding it—scoring a season high in points with a 50-43 win.
“We started better than we finished,” said Muskie head coach Mike Busch, whose squad led 28-18 at halftime. “Dryden is a smaller team, and definitely in the rebuilding mode, with no starters back from last year.
“I don’t know what kind of drills they do up here, though, but whatever they are, they sure make this team scrappy because they get every loose ball,” he added.
“But Trish Smith and Carley McCormick were the two best players on the court, and Melanie Hyatt had another great outing on both ends of the floor,” Busch noted.
“And Stephanie Mattson had a much better game than against Kenora [here last Thursday].”
Smith led the Muskie attack yesterday with 13 points while McCormick added 11 and Hyatt eight. Dryden’s leading scorers were unavailable.
The Muskies could do nothing wrong in the opening quarter against Kenora in their home-opener last Thursday, exploding to a 15-4 lead.
But the Broncos tightened the screws on their defensive machine in the second quarter, holding the Muskies to just two points. They continued their comeback in the third, trailing only by a pair with six minutes left in the fourth.
The Muskies wouldn’t back down, though, coming through with a 6-0 run in the final period to cement the 37-30 win. Smith and McCormick each had 11 in that one while Liz Boutette led Kenora with nine.
< *c>Moving on up
On the junior side of the ball, the Muskies seem to be building momentum regardless of their 0-2 start.
With only three veterans on the roster, this season will take patience on both the part of the players and new coach Michelle Mosbeck. But that patience became more evident in yesterday’s 35-27 loss to the host Eagles.
Janelle Williamson carried the load for the Muskies with nine points while Deanna Ryan also had nine to lead the Eagles.
Thursday’s home-opener here against Kenora saw a nervous group of Fort High shooters—nine of which were in their first NorWOSSA basketball action—as the team fell 41-22.
“Having such a young team, it’s a matter of boosting their confidence, getting them in the game, and getting them used to playing on the court,” said Mosbeck. “I thought the girls played very hard.
“There’s several things we need to work on, such as rebounding and shooting,” she added. “A lot of the girls are not confident yet, and need to start shooting the ball.
“But all of the girls got a chance to play, and that’s what’s most important to me. We’ll be better next time we play them,” Mosbeck vowed.
The juniors were supposed to attend a tournament last weekend in Dryden, but it was cancelled due to a lack of teams.
All four Muskie court teams resume NorWOSSA action here this coming Tuesday (Sept. 30) against Dryden.