Staff
Their route to NorWOSSA gold will be different although both teams share the same goal.
Winning a championship.
The Muskie junior girls’ basketball team had a chance to finish the regular season with an 8-0 record yesterday in Dryden.
But even if they wound up at 7-1 (the outcome wasn’t known as of press time), the squad still finished atop the three-team standings to earn a bye to the final at the NorWOSSA playoffs next Tuesday (Nov. 7) in Kenora.
They will face the winner of the semi-final showdown between the Eagles and Broncos earlier in the day.
“Whether we are undefeated or 7-1, our record will have no impact on how we prepare for NorWOSSA,” head coach Gord McCabe stressed in an e-mailed response to the Times.
“The most important thing was finishing first so that we only have to play one game.”
McCabe said having a bye to the final is a huge advantage as the game wears on.
“The only disadvantage is that the players on the first-place team may be a little nervous at the start while the winner of the semi-final probably got rid of those nerves in their first game,” he reasoned.
“However, as basketball is such an aerobically-demanding game, fatigue definitely becomes a factor for the team playing their second game.
“I know some volleyball coaches actually like playing in the semi-finals if they can get on a roll of momentum, but that is a much different game than basketball,” McCabe said.
McCabe noted the Muskies definitely approach playing Dryden and Kenora differently based on their personnel, but they really have no preference as to whom they face in the final.
“When regular-season play concludes, we will have played each of them six times as we met four times in league play and twice in tournaments, so there will be no surprises,” he remarked.
“We know them and they know us.
“While we may add a couple of little wrinkles, we are not going to make wholesale changes to what has been successful for us all year,” McCabe stressed.
“We are feeling very confident going into the playoffs but we will certainly not forget our last home game against Dryden, where we were tied at halftime,” he added.
“That sent a clear message to the girls that we have to be ready to play because both teams are capable of beating us if we are not at our best.”
The juniors were coming off a 46-20 win over Kenora here last Wednesday, building leads of 13-2 after the first quarter and 27-8 at halftime.
“The girls started off strong,” Muskie assistant coach Alyssa Faragher noted via e-mail as McCabe was out of town for the game.
“We were trying a lot of new rotations as some of our players are injured and cannot play,” she added.
“We even had an all Grade 9 rotation on the floor who held their own and scored many baskets.”
Faragher said the team demonstrated its ability to play defence very well, holding off the Broncos for most of the game.
“We were very impressed with them,” she remarked.
“They were opening up their offence as well, making good cuts to the basket and setting each other up,” Faragher added.
“They moved the ball fast and were able to put it in the [basket].”
Jamie Spencer led the way with 14 points while Ingrid Ellis added 10 and Joanna Empey seven.
Seniors hopeful
The senior squad, meanwhile, was gunning to end its regular season on a winning note yesterday in Dryden.
But even if they manage to get their first win of the regular season or wind up winless, Fort High will have to face a semi-battle next Tuesday in Kenora.
A win would give them a shot at NorWOSSA gold and a berth at the NWOSSAA championships.
The seniors were coming off a narrow 31-27 loss to the Broncos here last Wednesday.
“It was a good game,” said head coach Dan Bird via e-mail. “Again I feel we carried the play.
“The team moved the ball much better and had some great opportunities to score,” he noted.
“Our rebounding on both ends improved, but we did not take advantage on the offensive boards and I feel that was the difference.
“Our newest member played well and we were impressed with her efforts,” Bird added.
“The Dryden game on Tuesday will help Bailey [Jones] get rid of the jitters.”
Despite possibly going winless during the regular season, Bird said the team has been great as far as morale.
“We have talked quite a bit in the last two weeks about where we can improve, and we have seen improvements and believe we can win it all,” he remarked.
“We have Madison Morrison back and are hoping Janissa Judson will be a go for next Tuesday [in Kenora].
“We are looking at the Dryden game as our last good scrimmage, and [to] work on some offensive and defensive strategies in order to prepare for [the NorWOSSA playoffs] next Tuesday,” Bird said.
“We just want to finish on a two-game winning streak next Tuesday.”
