Sports

Speedy Stars geared toward playing run-and-gun style

By Matthew Semisch

12/02/2014

Joe Bender makes no secret of his love of run-and-gun basketball.

Bottineau High’s head girls’ basketball coach knows that a very fast and aggressive team can quickly demoralize and wear its opponents out. If a team can use an up-tempo style of offense and use that to set the pace, that team should be highly competitive each night out.

It’s an approach Bender believes his Stars are built to use this season.

The Stars have had only one week’s worth of official practices so far ahead of this weekend’s opening games of the 2014-15 season. Already, though, Bender feels the Stars have many ways to give defenders headaches.

“It’s going to be a fun year because we’ll have both an inside and an outside game,” Bender said. “On top of that, I feel like we’re going to be an extremely fast, up-tempo, run-and-gun team, and I’m not really having to teach them that because they naturally have that in them.

“We’re going to be really tough to play against, and you won’t be able to go in and play us and say, ‘Okay, I’ve got to just stop these two girls or stop the just outside game or just the inside game,’ because we’re going to be very well-balanced.”

It gets better. Just as the Stars aren’t short on speed, nor are they lacking in depth and experience. BHS graduated four seniors last spring, but this year’s group includes four new seniors and as many juniors.

The seniors will be looked upon to lead the team, though, and especially on offense. 

Opponents will have to watch out for guard Stephanie Brenden (12.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game last season) when she has the ball. Kennedy Olson, a six-foot center who averaged 6.3 points per game and 3.9 boards per outing in 2013-14, will be a handful for defenders to deal with around the basket.

BHS will begin the new season in Minot against New Town and Stanley on Friday and Saturday, respectively.