Lucas Punkari
With the NorWOSSA playoffs only a week away, the Muskie senior and junior boys’ basketball teams are getting hot at just the right time.
The seniors went unbeaten at a tournament in Kenora over the weekend, including a 64-58 victory over the Transcona Titans (Winnipeg) in the final, just days after winning both of their league games over the Dryden Eagles and Broncos.
“In the tournament, we overcame some sluggish play at times and played our best game when it mattered,” Muskie head coach Bryce Coyle said.
“Against Transcona, our aggressive zone defence took them right out of their offence and they were forced to start jacking three-pointers,” he noted.
“But even when they were making them, we were still scoring on offence and didn’t allow them to gain any ground on us.
“So, obviously, it ended up being a really good weekend for us with our team winning the title,” Coyle added.
Will Anderson was the Muskies’ top scorer in the final with 25 points.
In NorWOSSA play earlier in the week, the seniors showed no rust whatsoever after being off for two weeks due to exams, cruising to a 40-26 romp over the host Broncos last Tuesday before downing the Eagles 38-30 here the following day.
“Against Kenora we started off a bit slow,” Coyle recalled. “But then in the second half, we just turned it on and we outscored them 20-9 to pull ahead.
“Even though the final score made it seem a bit closer, our win against the Eagles was one of our best efforts of the season as our defense was very strong and we were able to put points on the board,” he added.
The Muskie junior hoopsters, meanwhile, also had a perfect week in league play last week.
They became the first team to knock off Kenora so far this season with a 35-32 triumph there last Tuesday, which they followed up a day later with a 53-21 romp over the visiting Eagles.
“That win over Kenora was huge for us,” stressed coach Jeff Vandahl.
“We led for the entire game against them, and we managed to hold off a late run the Broncos had with some very solid defence, which was awesome to see.
“I think a lot of that play carried over into our performance here against Dryden, and that is something I think we can continue to build on going into the playoffs,” Vandahl said.
But while things are going smoothly for the basketball teams, it is anything but that for the Muskie girls’ volleyball squads.
After knocking off both the Eagles and the Broncos in league play, as well as capturing the Kenora Winter Blast Invitational prior to the exam break, the juniors fell back down to Earth last week.
They fell in five sets to Kenora before losing in four to Dryden.
“Whatever we did right in those games just didn’t happen for us here this past week,” coach Jason Cain sighed.
“It’s all about being consistent out on the floor and doing all of the little things right in order to have a chance to win,” he stressed.
“And right now, we just aren’t doing those things.”
As for the senior girls, they were swept off the floor in both their league matches against Kenora and Dryden.
All four teams were back in action yesterday in Kenora (the results weren’t known as of press time), then will close out the regular season here tomorrow against Dryden.
Fort High is hosting the NorWOSSA playoffs next Wednesday (Feb. 15).
Before that, though, the girls’ volleyball teams will take part in their final tournament of the season this weekend in Thunder Bay.
