Alberton girls gain experience over weekend
Adam Robertson/Mineral Independent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 10 months AGO
<p>Senior Ryan Vicek and a player from Darby collide as they vie for the ball.</p>
ALBERTON – When the Lady Panthers played against Valley Christian and Darby last week, they were defeated in both games but gathered valuable experience for the future.
When the girls played against Valley Christian on Thursday, January 16, they returned with a final score of 14 to 55. According to Head Coach Hannah Anderson, the girls had a rough time because the team was short a few players.
“The girls played really hard and gave it everything they had,” said Anderson.
She was impressed by how the girls had performed so far. A few of the girls especially stood out to her.
Junior Taylor Erdman was the top scorer for the Panthers as she brought in seven points. Fellow junior Olivia Taylen also had a good game as she put in four points.
When the Lady Panthers had their home game against Darby on Saturday, January 18, the girls came away with a final score of 12 to 57. According to Anderson, Darby had an extremely aggressive team.
The game was hard on the Lady Panthers as Darby continually pushed their offense. By the end of the first half, the score was 10 to 32. The girls continued to struggle into the second quarter and did not score any points.
Despite the Lady Tiger’s strong defense and offense, Anderson saw light in the darkness as the girls had an overall good game. She said the team was noticeably better in some areas where problems had occurred before.
“The girls played very well against [Darby],” said Anderson. “We’ve been working really hard on out-rebounding and boxing out and it showed this game.”
Anderson said the Lady Panthers have shown a great deal of improvement this season. She was confident the girls would continue to improve with the experience this game gave them.
Anderson praised Erdman for her moves and post work. Senior Ryan Vicek was also commended for how she moved and handled the ball. The coach said both girls played great.
Vicek and Erdman were the only two scorers of the game as they each scored six points.
In the days before their next game, the team has worked to improve their shooting and rebounding. Anderson said the girls also needed to practice working as a team in some areas. However, she was confident the team would fix their problem areas.
“We’ve been improving every single game and I know we’ll continue to do so,” she said.
On Thursday, January 23, the Alberton girls will host the Superior Lady Bobcats at 7 p.m. in a game for county pride. The team will also play at home against Phillipsburg on Friday, January 24, at 4 p.m.
Anderson was excited for the game against Superior. She said the in-county games were always strong matches and a lot of fun.
This will be the second time Alberton has played Superior this season. According to Anderson, the girls have improved in a number of areas since the first game in December.
“I’m excited to see how we play against them this time around,” said Anderson.
ARTICLES BY ADAM ROBERTSON/MINERAL INDEPENDENT
Grand Opening
The new St. Regis Senior Center was dedicated to Maxine Flemming, a member of the center since 1983. Her name and picture appears on a plaque to be displayed in the new center.
Icy highways lead to a weekend of accidents
MINERAL COUNTY – As blizzard-like conditions swept through the area late last week Interstate 90 became an ice rink and accident reports flooded in as traffic tried to navigate the hazardous roads. The heavy snows began on Thursday, Feb. 27, and only let up periodically over the next few days. According to Mineral County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, approximately 12 accidents occurred between Thursday and Sunday, March 2. Most of these were cases where vehicles slid off the road or spun out. According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Burton, they were almost all caused by people driving too fast on the slick roads. “The weather has definitely been a factor,” Burton said. “People need to slow down a bit.” Burton also responded to an accident where a vehicle with a trailer hit some ice and the trailer fell over. On Friday, Feb. 28, Mineral County Sheriff Ernie Ornelas and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputies were kept busy for most of the day assisting with the flood of calls. While there were no investigations opened, the sheriff’s office was on hand to help with the accidents. While the Superior ambulances were also busy responding to calls, there were very few serious injuries. According to Mineral Community Hospital personnel, the hospital did not see many people with injuries resulting from the conditions. Burton said the Montana Department of Transportation was doing the best they could to keep Interstate 90 and the state highways clear. It was a daunting task as the cold temperatures and heavy snow kept the roads slick. The Montana Highway Patrol recommends everyone drive safely and go a safe speed for the road conditions.
Bobcats
Tucker Smith moves to block a Hot Springs player during a Superior home game earlier this season.