The Owatonna Varsity Girls basketball team is going through a tough yet exciting season and month by month they are showing more and more of their potential.
The season is almost halfway through, and the Huskies have five wins and four losses overall. Including an impressive five wins and one losses in the conference, which puts them in the third position in the conference standings.
Their latest match against the Faribault Falcons last Friday, they came out on top 62-55. They keep on working towards their goal of climbing up in the conference, which is something Owatonna has not done since 2018.
The season commenced on a very promising note for the Huskies, they kicked off the conference play in style with a crushing 70–32 victory against Mankato East. After that terrific beginning, the team encountered a difficult phase and lost five consecutive games. But instead of allowing the losses to take a toll on the team, the players and coaches did a regrouping and focussing. Their efforts have resulted in a victory, as Owatonna has climbed up to the top of the league and has just broken the winless spell with three successive wins against Century, Austin and Winona.
Head Coach Mr. Patrick Web says, ¨We are getting better. We played tough stretches and we’ve grown up a little bit and we’ve won a couple of games in a row and I think we’ll continue to get better. Some of our strong points, we turn the teams over a lot, creating a lot of turnovers. Offensively, we’re slowly getting better. So that would be an area to work on halfcourt offense. I hope that we continue to improve and make a run in sections.¨
Leadership has been a significant factor in the team’s comeback ability. Owatonna has four captains this season: Junior Jersey Coleman and Seniors Addi Langlois, Sophie Schlauderaff, and Jessica Fisher. The four of them together create a great presence for the other teammates and are great leaders for them. Coleman states, “We started off the season with some really challenging games, and played a lot of great talent. We won our first game but unfortunately couldn’t pull out a win for four straight games following. That didn’t stop us though! We bounced back and got three wins in a row. I’m excited to continue growing and winning!”
The Huskies have been bettering their game on both sides of the court during their last winning streak, making offensive ball movement and defensive intensity show up as the two major improvements. The chemistry among the team members is constantly increasing and the players are fully committed to the system and each other.
Owatonna is concentrating on the conference standings as the season progresses. They intend to be consistent and ascend the rankings. The Huskies are focused on making a successful finish, given the momentum and strong leadership to back them up.
Their next game is at home against the John Marshall Rockets on January 9th, come watch and support the team as they climb the section standings.
