Morenci girls basketball gaining confidence as season winds down
MORENCI — Confidence comes with experience.
Morenci’s basketball team has grown plenty over the last year and the result is a more confident, consistent team. The Bulldogs are 11-2, in the driver’s seat in the Tri-County Conference and have a district tournament ahead were they are likely to be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
Coach Ashley Joughin isn’t looking ahead just yet, however.
“The girls know we have to stay focused,” she said. “No one is going to hand the TCC title over to us. We will see everyone at their best the last few weeks of the regular season, but we are ready to fight for it.”
Morenci is 6-0 in the TCC after Wednesday’s 51-17 win against Britton Deerfield.
Last season Morenci started 14-0, but injuries and a tough schedule saw them go 4-5 the rest of the season, including a close lost to Lenawee Christian in the Division 4 district tournament.
That team had three seniors, but also three freshman and a sophomore that all played lots of minutes.
In Monday’s two-point loss to Blissfield, the Bulldogs got behind early, trailing by as many as nine points in the first half, but used a solid halfcourt defense and timely shots on offense to claw back into the game. By halftime, Blissfield’s nine-point lead had shrunk to two.
It was 47-45 inside the last 20 seconds and Morenci had a ball coming out of a timeout but was unable to get a shot off down the stretch.
“We were trying to get the ball to Leah (Rorick),” Ashley Joughin said of those final seconds. “I think we got a little confused in the moment, but I’m super proud of how they played. They came in here confident and that is sometimes hard to do against a state-ranked team. They took shots when they were open and weren’t scared to play.”
Joughin was impressed with how her team handled the adversity early in the game and came back to have a chance to win it down the stretch.
“I think both teams were scrappy on both sides,” Joughin said. “It was a fun game to watch. The atmosphere was cool. We’re glad we put them on the schedule.”
Most impressive was how throughout the game, several different players took turns at handling the ball, driving, passing and shooting. It was a collective effort.
“This is the first team I’ve coached that seems less nervous and anxious when playing tough teams,” Joughin said. “They are able to play loose and try to trust in the game plans we go over before each game. Part of that comes from some of the younger varsity kids having a year under their belt.”
Morenci is still young. There were times on Monday they had one freshman and three sophomores on the floor against a veteran Blissfield team.
Joughin said the girls are just becoming better basketball players. Morenci is giving up an average of 29 points a game.
“More than gaining some varsity experience, I think the one thing that will hopefully set us apart going into districts and the state tournament is just becoming better defenders and rebounders,” she said. “We’ve worked all season to put ourselves in a good spot defensively to hold teams under their season averages and give ourselves the opportunity to win close games on the defensive end.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Morenci girls basketball gaining confidence for postseason run
