Joey Payeur
Dr. Seuss would have loved the Muskie junior girls’ basketball squad.
Because when it comes to their opponents, the Muskies look like they can beat them here, they can beat them there, they can beat them anywhere.
The black-and-gold plowed through every obstacle at the Westgate Miss Basketball Tournament in Thunder Bay over the weekend, routing the host Tigers 41-26 in the championship game to capture top spot.
Led by tournament MVP Lindsay Dixon, who had eight points in the final, the Muskies went a perfect 3-0 at the event in what so far has been a dream season.
“We are so proud!” enthused co-coach Marla Knutsen. “They showed so much growth over the weekend.”
Ashley Croswell and Amber Williams each had 10 points to lead all Muskie scorers in the final.
To top it off, Muskie Claire Hyatt earned a spot on the tournament all-star team.
Fort High crushed the St. Ignatius Falcons (Thunder Bay) 23-8 in their tourney opener, then earned a 30-20 victory over an opponent which was not identified as of press time.
It was a fitting end to a successful week for the junior squad, who pushed their NorWOSSA-leading record to 5-0 with a 46-19 pounding of the Dryden Eagles (1-3) here last Wednesday.
Croswell led the attack with 12 points while Dixon had 10 and Hyatt added nine for the Muskies, who went on a 23-0 run after the Eagles scored the first bucket of the game.
“We used a press defence to start the game, which was different for us but it really worked well,” noted Hyatt.
“We also used a 2-3 zone in the second half that was effective, too.”
The Muskie senior girls’ basketball team, meanwhile, came within a three-point shot of matching the juniors’ success in Thunder Bay over the weekend, but were edged 34-32 by St. Ignatius in the final of the Churchill Bulldogs’ home tournament.
“We had a chance to win it at the end with a three-pointer but the ball hit the board and bounced off,” recalled Muskie co-coach Dan Bird.
“I’m pretty happy with the results of the weekend,” he added.
“To go and play these new teams in a tournament is a good refresher for our team.”
Fort High downed Westgate 26-23 in their opener in what was payback for the Tigers thumping the Muskies by 23 points in a pre-season tournament.
The black-and-gold then rolled over the St. Patrick Saints (Thunder Bay) 34-24 to clinch a spot in the final.
Cassandra Moffitt was named the Muskies’ MVP for the tournament.
Boys’ volleyball
In boys’ volleyball action, both the junior and senior Muskies were unable to defend home court against Dryden in their NorWOSSA match-ups last Wednesday.
The junior Muskies (2-3) gave the Eagles a good run before falling 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 26-24) to Dryden (4-0).
“It was the most exciting match we have had during the first half of the season,” noted Muskie coach John Gibson.
“There has been a ton of improvement and we did have opportunities to push it to a fifth set, but couldn’t close out the fourth,” he remarked.
As for the senior Muskies (0-5), they played well for portions of the match but ultimately succumbed 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-12) to the Eagles (4-0).
“In the first two sets, our effort was there,” said Muskie libero/back middle player Braeden Caul.
“In the final set, it seems like we weren’t into it,” he admitted.
“We should have been using the momentum we got from the second set.”
The seniors were scheduled to attend Dryden’s home tournament this past weekend, but were unable to go due to the lack of an adult supervisor to replace coach Jason Jones, who was unable to make the trip.
The junior boys will head to Dryden later this week for a two-day tournament, beginning Friday.
Meanwhile, all four Muskie court teams were in Kenora yesterday to take on the Broncos.
The outcomes were unavailable as of press time, but victories by the senior and junior girls would clinch first place in the regular season and mean an automatic berth in their respective NorWOSSA finals Nov. 8 in Dryden.
The Muskies’ next home games will be their regular-season finales Oct. 31 here against Kenora, with action beginning at noon.
