The Muskie junior boys’ basketball team were both hosts and champions, winning all three games of their home tourney over the weekend, including a key pair of victories against NorWOSSA rivals.
After opening play Friday with a 41-23 win over the Kenora Broncos and then a 43-31 victory against the Dryden Eagles, Fort High captured the tourney title with a 42-32 win over the Churchill Trojans (Thunder Bay) on Saturday afternoon.
“I think the key to the success this weekend was keeping it simple,” Muskie head coach Greg Ste. Croix said. “More and more guys are stepping it up, and when more guys step up, we can play more guys for more minutes.”
Ste. Croix said the key to winning by broad margins in all three games was rolling with the team’s depth, knowing he could rest his starters and rely on the bench—not out of desperation, but rather preparation for the next few matches.
He cited Chris Legg, Josh Strain, and Justin Anderson as his three “go-to players” who performed well enough as leaders to open up the Muskie roster.
Anderson said he was disappointed in his own outside shooting, but otherwise agreed with Ste. Croix.
“I think we played better than usual,” he remarked. “I think the post players played way better, got a lot of rebounds.”
Anderson named Cody Brown and Jake McIntosh, who netted 14 points in the finale against Churchill to tie with Legg for the team-high total, as some of the weekend’s difference-makers.
The juniors—unbeaten in NorWOSSA play so far this season—had a regular-season match-up here against the Eagles cancelled due to inclement weather last Thursday.
They’ll get one last showdown before the Christmas break tomorrow when they head to Kenora to face the Broncos with the other three Muskie court teams.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
