Hoops squads ready for playoffs

It isn’t often sports fans get to cheer for both David and Goliath.
The Muskie faithful will have that luxury this Friday when the junior and senior girls’ basketball teams begin their quests for NorWOSSA gold in Kenora.
The junior hoopsters, who finished the regular season with a 6-2 mark, will be looking to continue their run as the “Goliaths” of the league.
As a result of their sterling regular-season record, the black-and-gold earned a bye directly into the NorWOSSA final, where they’ll await the winner of the semi-final showdown between the host Broncos and Dryden Eagles.
But head coach Dan Bird admitted the team still has some work to do in practice if they are going to win the league crown.
“We’ll work on good man-to-man defence because I don’t want my key players in foul trouble going in to the fourth quarter,” he said.
“I think if we play our defence, I think our offence will come naturally.”
Meanwhile, the senior Muskie girls are cast in the role of David after enduring an up and down regular season in which they struggled to find a consistent offensive game en route to a 2-6 record.
The seniors will have to take the long road if they are to win NorWOSSA gold by first beating the host Broncos in the semi-final and then the Eagles in the championship game.
Head coach Ian Simpson said the team’s preparation for the playoffs will centre around one thing and one thing only—offence.
“Passing and shooting,” Simpson stated simply of his plans for practice.
“I’m hopeful and optimistic,” he added. “I think the girls have a good chance [on Friday].”
The junior hoopsters capped off a very successful regular season with a 29-26 victory over the visiting Dryden Eagles last Thursday.
The Muskies pulled away in the third quarter—outscoring the Eagles 12-4 thanks largely to the aggressive play of guard Kayla Windigo.
They then survived a late Dryden run in the fourth quarter.
Windigo was the high scorer for the black-and-gold with nine points.
The Muskie senior girls, meanwhile, turned the ball over repeatedly in a 33-27 loss to the visiting Eagles.
Of particular concern was the team’s passing—the Muskies threw numerous passes out of bounds.
Forward Alyssa Holliday led the team with seven points, with Kristina Caul and Michelle Cournoyer each chipping in six.