Mitch Calvert
The Muskie senior and junior boys’ basketball squads weren’t to be denied.
In their first home NorWOSSA action last Thursday, both squads improved to a perfect 3-0 with victories over the Kenora Broncos.
The seniors coasted to a relatively easy 76-47 win—making good on a lot of quality scoring opportunities created by heads-up play from their guards.
“The guards are making smart plays drawing the man, and then with the little dish to the big guys down low, it’s turning into an easy two points,” Muskie assistant coach Sarah Noonan praised.
One of those guards, Garnet Cornell, had 14 points while one of those big guys, Travis Stromness, added a game-high 16.
Noonan said the squad wanted to push the envelope offensively—and clearly the strategy worked with 76 points to show for it.
“We wanted to push the offence [Thursday] a bit more and it paid off,” she enthused. “We just came out more aggressive on the offence, and defensively, we full-court man pressured them for part of the game and then we got into a little bit of foul trouble with the guys.
“But our half-court zone was really impressive there, as well,” she added.
The juniors, meanwhile, trailed early in their game against the Broncos, but battled back to lead 15-11 after one quarter. They eventually stretched the gap to 24-16 at the half before coasting to a 50-38 win.
“We really took the ball to the basket,” said Muskie junior coach Greg Ste. Croix. “At this level, you have to take the ball to the basket and we did that quite well tonight [Thursday].
“We still have to make more of our lay-ups, those are key, but we really did a great job rebounding the ball at times,” he added. “The boys weren’t terribly successful all night, but we did enough to get the win.”
The game featured some bad blood between the two teams, including a few strategically-placed elbows from the Broncos in the second half.
“It was getting scrappy. They definitely played with a lot more intensity than they did up in Kenora last time,” Ste. Croix admitted. “They had a short bench and worked really hard, and I have to tip my hat to them.”
The juniors have fairly big shoes to fill after a NorWOSSA title win over Kenora a season ago, but Ste. Croix said this team is more than capable of reaching that ceiling.
“This team’s a little older,” he noted. “I don’t think we have the depth that we did last year, but I think towards the end of the season as guys continue to develop, we’re going to be very strong.”
