Court Teams

As the second half of the NorWOSSA season for the four Muskie court teams gets underway tomorrow in Kenora, the black-and-gold find themselves in varying positions.
So far, the junior girls’ basketball team has been the most successful of the bunch—sporting a 3-1 record at the midway point of their eight-game schedule.
Head coach Mike Busch had the tough task of trimming down his roster to 15 girls after close to 45 tried out. He obviously chose wisely as the juniors boast a well-balanced squad led by Laura Busch and Jody Caul.
Look for the Muskies to remain the leading contender to win a second-straight NorWOSSA title next month.
Meanwhile, Darren Johnson, coach of the senior girls’ basketball team, admitted he’s a little baffled at the inconsistency his squad has shown en route to a 2-2 record.
The girls handled the Kenora Broncos in their last win here, but struggled against some of the top Thunder Bay teams to go winless at an invitational tournament there.
Muskie forward Tricia Smith has been the most consistent of the young bunch, averaging close to 10 points a game to pace the team.
Coming out of NorWOSSA and getting back to the NWOSSAA final is possible—but questions about whether they can keep up with Thunder Bay’s top teams like St. Ignatius and Hammarskjold still persist.
Volleyball
Both the Muskie senior and junior boys’ volleyball teams are 1-3 entering into play tomorrow in Kenora.
The juniors won their first match of the season Oct. 4 after taking their opponents to a fifth-and-deciding game in all three of their previous matches.
Head coach Greg Ste. Croix said the most important thing has been giving all 15 players equal playing time—both as a way to prepare them for the NorWOSSA playoffs and future years on the senior team.
On the seniors’ side, head coach Adrian Chapman, after losing to Kenora in their last game here, said he has a talented, young team—all that’s left is for them to play together.
Both Muskie volleyball teams settled for the silver medal in last year’s NorWOSSA playoffs.
After tomorrow’s action in Kenora, the Muskies will play in Dryden on Oct. 23 before hosting the Broncos on Oct. 25.
The Muskies’ match against Dryden, which originally was slated for here last Thursday (Oct. 11), was postponed until Nov. 1.
The NorWOSSA playoffs are slated Friday, Nov. 9 (the location is to be announced).