Joey Payeur
Ashley Croswell and her fellow veterans were keen on proving their own merits this season.
The five-pack of Grade 12 returnees on the Muskie senior girls’ basketball team did just that—finishing off the squad’s third-straight 8-0 regular season with a 39-20 win over the visiting Dryden Eagles last Thursday.
“The seniors last year carried us well and we learned a lot from them,” noted Croswell, who had seven points in the victory over the Eagles to extend the Muskies’ NorWOSSA winning streak to 28-straight games.
“We wanted to prove to ourselves that we were just as good as the seniors last year and keep this run going,” she stressed.
“[The streak] is kind of intimidating,” Croswell admitted.
“We play harder every game because we know there’s something to lose.”
By finishing in top spot, the Muskies once again earned the bye to the NorWOSSA final this Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Fort High.
The black-and-gold await the semi-final winner from earlier in the day between Dryden (3-4) and the Kenora Broncos (0-7), who closed out the regular season against each other yesterday.
The NorWOSSA champion then will host the Thunder Bay champs in the best-of-three NWOSSAA final Nov. 20-21.
“It will be bittersweet being the last home game in [NorWOSSA] play for the Grade 12s,” Croswell said about Friday’s contest.
Anything less than a gold medal around their necks at the end of Friday would be a huge shocker for the Muskies, who outscored their opponents 319-179 in league play this season.
“This goes to the players,” stressed Muskie co-coach Dan Bird about Fort High pulling off yet another unbeaten regular-season campaign.
“It’s the contributions the players make in practice, their commitment to defence first,” he noted.
“That’s the way we’ve approached it the past three years.”
“Our defence has been the key to our winning the last two games,” agreed Croswell.
“Every team we play comments on how well our defence is structured.
“And that’s not always just when the starting lineup is on,” she added. “The Grade 11s have picked it up fast.”
That was illustrated by the Muskies allowing only two points in the second quarter against the Eagles last Thursday as they built a 23-9 halftime lead, then surrendering only four in the fourth to close things out.
Claire Hyatt led the way with eight points while Amber Williams matched Croswell’s seven-point output.
Sydney Cowley-White added six points and also was a rebounding force at both ends of the floor.
“I’m much happier with the play of the starters [against the Eagles] and the team as a whole,” said Bird.
“It was a much better effort from everybody.
“I’m not sure who we will play in the final but we will prepare as we normally do,” he added.
Bird admitted it was a difficult week to get the team ready to play, with a combination of mid-term exams and the school’s musical revue carving into his squad’s time to concentrate on basketball matters.
As it turned out, his fears were unfounded.
“[Cowley-White], Sarah [Larson], and [Williams] all played well [against Dryden], and [Hyatt] and Maggie [Jean] were causing all kinds of trouble up top defensively,” Bird lauded.
The thought of a third-straight league crown, and another crack at whoever comes out of Thunder Bay, gives the Muskies plenty of incentive not to take their opportunity in Friday’s NorWOSSA final lightly.
“We’re confident and I think we’ll play with more strength with our school behind us,” said Croswell.
“The players are confident but not overly so,” noted Bird.
“The focus is on this week and sticking to our game plan,” he remarked.
