There were several instances during last weekend’s NWOSSAA senior girls’ basketball championship in Thunder Bay where the Muskies were on the cusp of putting the Churchill Trojans in their place.
But the host squad refused to relinquish their hold on the title, especially with where the games were being held—namely, in their house.
It was not a decisive sweep like a year ago here, but a sweep nonetheless, as the defending champs dumped the Muskies 44-18 on Friday and then won 47-35 on Saturday morning to advance to the all-Ontarios this weekend in North Bay.
“We came up against a very good squad in Churchill,” said Fort High assistant coach Paul Noonan. “We’re not used to that level of play and it caught us off guard.”
Friday’s opener saw the Muskies capitalize on a cold-shooting Trojans squad to grab a 6-2 lead—and even had them tied at 10 midway through the second quarter.
But an 8-0 run was just what the Trojans needed to get going. And with Fort High’s offence suddenly going into hibernation, it was easy pickings for the home team from there on.
The second half was all about poor shot selection and turnovers by the Muskies, who fell behind 29-16 after three quarters and then were bombed 15-2 in the fourth.
Allison Pruys and Erin Romick had eight points each for the Trojans while Riley Jorgenson picked up seven. Stephanie “Mouse” Mattson squeaked out five to lead the Muskies, who committed 38 turnovers and got scoring from only four players.
With the threat of elimination in clear view, the Muskie offence found its stride Saturday morning. Alas, so did Churchill, who seemed to hit almost every shot they took in forging a 29-18 halftime lead.
But the Muskies kept their composure in the face of the red-hot Trojans.
“We knew after the first quarter, they had to slow down eventually,” said veteran forward Miranda Miller. “We were much more confident on offence.”
The third quarter may be the session that Muskie players will regret not having done more with, as they held Churchill to just five points but hit no field goals themselves and managed just three foul shots to fall behind 37-21.
“We needed to close the gap a little,” admitted Noonan. “If we’d been able to do that, I think we would have had enough to finish the job in the fourth.”
The final quarter was preceded by Noonan and head coach Mike Busch imploring the team’s impending graduates to give themselves a finish to remember. They did exactly that, fashioning a 9-0 run to pull within seven points at 37-30.
“I really thought we were going to do it,” said Miller. “But then they got the ball down the stretch and started wasting time, and we couldn’t catch up.”
That was mainly due to Riley Jorgenson being the fly in the comeback ointment. The Trojan guard, who came back from a rest break earlier in the game to calm her team down with two quick baskets, did it again in the fourth to stem the Muskie tide.
“Both teams showed a lot of heart,” said Jorgenson, who led her squad with 16 points. “Hats off to [Fort Frances]. But all season, we’ve just been taking what’s there.
“Our team has really come together as a group at the end of the season.”
Trojans’ coach Dave McCallum knew he’d been in a fight when it was all said and done.
“It was our balanced scoring that saw us through,” he noted. “Different kids got to come through for us each day.”
For the Muskies’ part, Noonan was thrilled with the spirit shown by all his players, particularly one departing veteran and one newcomer who will be back for another kick at the can next year.
“Carley McCormick [in her final high school appearance] was a real leader out there,” lauded Noonan. “The way she came out so aggressive in the fourth quarter, it was a real boost to the whole team.
“And Ashley Whalen had a real big game for us.”
McCormick led all Muskie scorers Saturday with 10 points while Rebecca Cornell had nine. Trish Smith added eight.
Whalen is one of at least five players who will suit up for the Muskies next season, with the possibility of under-aged graduates Miller and Ashlyn Jewell also returning.
“We’ve just got to keep it together,” said Whalen. “We’ve got to stop getting so frustrated when we’re on the court.
“We’ve really got to work on our offence for next year,” she added. “That’s where the regional team this spring is really going to help.”
Most of the Muskies will play on the Fort Frances regional team that will compete for the Manitoba championship in the first half of next year.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
