Staff
It’s been a tale of two seasons so far for the Muskie girls’ basketball teams.
The juniors romped to a 47-29 victory over the host Dryden Eagles last Tuesday to improve to 4-0 at the midway point of the NorWOSSA regular season.
Carmen Hebert led the way with eight points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, while Ingrid Ellis added seven.
“This game really showcased how much depth this team has,” said head coach Gord McCabe, who could not make the trip to Dryden last week (assistant Ange Petsnick filled in) but watched the game via the Internet stream.
“Grace Petsnick, who has been our leading scorer all year and is, in my opinion, the best overall player in the league, was sick and did not make the trip,” he noted.
“[But] everyone else really stepped it up and you could see the entire team gain more confidence as the game went on.”
The Muskies led 10-6 through the first quarter, 18-10 at halftime, and 34-23 through three quarters.
“The keys to our success in this game was what has been the keys all season–depth, quickness, and defensive intensity,” McCabe said.
“We have substituted five players every few minutes without any noticeable dip in performance,” he noted.
“And I think we wear our opposition down as the game progresses because everyone knows they can give maximum effort on every shift because we substitute so freely.”
Despite their dominance to this point, McCabe stressed the team’s goal is to keep improving.
“While we have had success thus far, I think we are all aware that both Dryden and Beaver Brae [Kenora] have enough talent to best us if we are not at our best,” he warned.
McCabe said the team set three goals at the start of the season.
“One, represent our school and communities well, both on and off the court,” he recounted.
“Two, become the best team we can possibly be, and three, most importantly, have fun,” he added.
“If we reach those goals, we will have had a successful season regardless of our wins and losses.”
Besides four more regular-season games, including one today (Oct. 11) in Kenora against the Broncos, the juniors have their sights set on a tournament Oct. 20-21 in Thunder Bay, which will feature teams from as far away as Sault Ste. Marie.
“I am really excited to see how our girls match up against the best in Northwestern Ontario,” said McCabe.
“We open the tournament against Hammarskjold from Thunder Bay, who beat us by two points last year to keep us from advancing to the final, so I am sure the girls will be looking forward to the rematch,” he remarked.
“They are one of the top teams in Thunder Bay again this year so I am sure it will be a tough game.”
Meanwhile, it’s been a different story for the Muskie senior hoopsters, who fell to 0-4 in NorWOSSA play with a 35-25 loss to the host Eagles last Tuesday.
Ellie Petsnick topped the black-and-gold with 10 points in a losing cause.
“The first half was a frustrating half,” conceded head coach Dan Bird, whose team trailed 18-4 at the break.
“We did have some scoring opportunities that would of been more representative of our play,” he noted.
“Our defensive play has been good but we continue to create turnovers and give them right back,” Bird added.
“If we can focus on an improved passing game, we will be in each and every game.”
Bird said to give Dryden credit as the Eagles’ press caused the Muskies problems.
“We will continue to work on breaking the press for our upcoming game [today] against Kenora,” he noted.
On the bright side, Bird said the play of forwards Sarah Larson, Ellie Petsnick, and Taylor Steinke has improved.
“[They] could very well be our key to future wins should their commitment to control offensive and defensive boards continue,” he remarked.
