Staff
The Muskie senior girls’ basketball team used suffocating defence and a balanced scoring attack to throttle the host Kenora Broncos 28-12 in their NorWOSSA final yesterday.
The black-and-gold now advance to the best-of-three NWOSSAA championship for the first time in five years against the winner of the Thunder Bay circuit, which will be decided within the next week.
Fort High will host the NWOSSAA showdown, with Game 1 going on Nov. 20 and Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) being played on Nov. 21
“We had a good mindset going in as we had beat Kenora five times already this year,” senior coach Ian Simpson said about facing the Broncos, who had been winless all year before upsetting Dryden in the semi-final earlier yesterday.
“But we also knew if we made mistakes, it can go the other way.”
Sara Roach led the Muskies with 10 points while Chelsea Hill had seven and Jolene Stahn chipped in with five.
Team scoring leader Kayla Windego was held in check offensively, but Simpson applauded her defensive work.
“Kayla was a dynamo on ‘D.’ She was the heart of our defence,” he praised.
“And as the point guard, she was responsible for bringing up the ball and co-ordinating our offence.”
It also was a golden day for the Muskie junior girls’ basketball team, who showed a sharp offensive touch and some tough defensive work of their own to roll to a 35-26 decision over the Dryden Eagles to capture their league crown.
The juniors put a dent in any Dryden hopes early by racing out to a 12-4 lead after the first quarter.
The Eagles closed the gap to 15-10 at halftime, but a 9-2 run in the third by Fort High put the game out of reach and coach Dan Bird freely substituted in his bench players in the final minutes when the outcome no longer was in doubt.
“The Grade 10s showed a lot of leadership on the floor,” said Bird, whose squad lost to Dryden in the dying stages of last year’s final.
“They took control of the game once they got the lead.
“The defence was our strength,” he added. “They frustrated the Eagles by keying on their two best players.”
Erika Moffitt paced the Muskies with 12 points while Chantal Jodoin drained 11.
Spikers fall
Both basketball squads had finished in first place during the regular season, earning automatic byes to their respective finals.
That same formula did not work, however, for coach Duane Roen and the Muskie junior boys’ volleyball crew.
The spikers saw their dream of a perfect season evaporate at the worst possible time as they were upset by the Dryden Eagles 3-1 in their best-of-five NorWOSSA final yesterday in Kenora.
Dryden won the first set in a squeaker (25-23), then grabbed a commanding lead by taking the second one 25-17.
Fort High bounced back with a 25-11 win in the third set, but couldn’t maintain the momentum to force a fifth and deciding one, falling 25-19 in the fourth set to settle for the silver medal.
The Muskie senior boys were the only local squad not to make it to their final yesterday as they were eliminated 3-1 (25-22, 25-12, 20-25, 25-16) in the semi-final by Dryden.
The Eagles won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-12, lost the third one 25-20, but then wrapped up the match by taking the fourth set 25-16.
Fort High ended the year winless in NORWOSSA play after going 0-8 during the regular season.
