Both Muskie boys’ basketball teams headed out for exhibition tournaments over the weekend and found some tough resistance in what otherwise have been very successful seasons so far.
The junior boys ended up splitting their four games up in Dryden—despite starting out with a 38-33 win versus Churchill in overtime and a 50-28 romp over St. Patrick’s on Friday.
But the black-and-gold then fell 55-52 to St. Ignatius and 51-45 to the Hillcrest Colts on Saturday.
“Against St. Ignatius, we didn’t finish,” said Muskie head coach Greg Ste. Croix. “Our execution was off a little bit in terms of completing plays, and we turned the ball over way too many times.
“And then against Hillcrest, we didn’t play our best game,” he admitted. “We had a number of turnovers and we didn’t rebound the ball well.
“So I think if we would’ve played the way we did Friday night, I think we would’ve beat both St. Ignatius and Hillcrest. Definitely would’ve beat St. Ignatius.”
The eight-team tournament was a breath of fresh air for the juniors if nothing else because they were playing opponents they had not faced before this season, with the exception of one game against Churchill.
The senior team, meanwhile, fared better in the Miles MacDonell Buckeye Classic in Winnipeg, dropping their first game against the Garden City Fighting Gophers by a 90-49 score on Thursday night.
Morgan Anderson, Travis Stromness, and Jeremy Strain led Fort High, which was coming off a win over Dryden in NorWOSSA action earlier in the day, with 10 points each.
The squad got back on the winning track with a 66-59 victory over the Kildonan East Reivers on Friday, propelled by a 15-point performance from both Strain and Anderson, and a convincing 98-59 victory over the Jeanne-Sauve Olympians in the consolation final Saturday.
Garnett Cornell has named MVP of the consolation final after draining 31 points, including eight three-pointers on 11 attempts.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
