SUPERIOR/ALBERTON – In a county face-off, the Alberton Lady Panthers were defeated by the Superior Lady Bobcats in their game Thursday, December 17.

The Lady Bobcats took a decisive victory against the Lady Panthers with a final score of 59 to 25.

Both teams played a good game and were strong on the court. The girls moved the ball around quickly and it changed hands frequently. The Alberton team used great tactics to pass the ball between themselves and get around Superior’s blockers.

According to Alberton Head Coach Hannah Anderson, the team has seen great improvement in a short period of time. Anderson felt the girls had potential and would continue to grow over the course of the season.

“We haven’t had a lot of practice time and we’re really just starting to come together as a team and know where each other is going to be,” said Anderson.

Senior Delani Hanley was praised for her performance and the numerous block outs she made. Senior Ryan Vicek also stood out with fantastic assists. Throughout the game, Vicek had great control of the ball and moved it across the court with ease.

The Alberton girls had another game on Saturday, December 21. In the day before the game, Anderson worked with the girls on defense and improvements to their shots.

When the Lady Panthers went to Phillipsburg they faced defeat with a final score of 66 to 33.

In the first and fourth quarters, the game was fairly close and both teams got multiple points. However, the second quarter was where the opposition pulled ahead and gained a tremendous lead. While the girls started to pull back in the third and fourth quarter, it was not enough to recover the game.

However, Vicek continued to do well on the court and was the top scorer of the game with 11 points. Junior Taylor Erdman was close behind her with eight points scored.

Further information on the Phillipsburg game was unavailable at the time of press.

When the Lady Bobcats started the game against Alberton, Superior Head Coach Jeff Schultz described them as nervous. The initial nerves led to some issues and frequent turnovers, but the girls were able to recover and get into the game.

“Once we settled down and said ‘we can play’…we played great ball,” said Schultz.

The first half of the game was close, with an approximately nine or 10 point lead at times. Schultz said the game could have gone either way at the start. The second half of the game was where the Lady Bobcats gained the advantage and began to put some distance on the score.

Schultz said it was a great game and was happy both teams were able to field younger players and give everyone a chance to play. Some of those younger players played especially well and stood out to the coach.

Freshmen Celein Parkin and Morgan Sharp both scored several points in the game. Schultz was impressed with the girls for their performance in such an advanced level of the game. Parkin scored three points and Sharp scored four.

“To have two freshmen come in and contribute to the varsity, that’s awesome,” said Schultz. “You’re just excited to have them for another three years after this one.”

Schultz also praised Vicek for her performance on Alberton’s side. He said she was a great player who made some good plays. According to Schultz, Vicek would need to be watched closely in future games.

The girls also played a game in Arlee Saturday, December 21. However, Superior lost the game with a final score of 58 to 35.

According to Schultz, the girls had a rough start with multiple turnovers. But when the younger members of the team went out to play, he said they did very well. In the future Schultz plans to field the younger girls more often.

“I would like to see the bench players take a good grasp of the opportunity when they get time to play,” said Schultz. “They showed they deserve the opportunity to play more.”

He also said the experience has shown him how the girls can shine brightly when given the opportunity to play. When the older girls need a break, the backup can have a huge impact on the game.

According to Schultz, the older girls had more energy after the first half. While a win was not possible, he said the team had fun and were able to see some places where improvement was needed.

Some of this involved work on a review of the fundamentals. Schultz said these could never be practiced enough and if a team got lazy on them, it could hurt them in the end. However, even with the rough game, some players were able to perform well.

Schultz said sophomore Marissa Koke played a very strong game. He recalled how she was almost never out of the game and did a good job in all aspects.

“She was a little warrior,” said Schultz. “I thought she really shined.”

Neither team will play again until after the new year. The Lady Panther’s next game will be Friday, January 3, in Seeley, followed by a home game Friday, January 4, against Lincoln. The Lady Bobcats next games will also be January 3 and 4 against Hot Springs and Thompson Falls.

Over the winter break, Schultz planned to work with the Lady Bobcats on rebounds and how to move the ball around faster. He felt the team would be in good shape if improvements could constantly be made throughout the season.