Sports

Stars to shift into new gear

By Tyler Ohmann

12/10/2013

Last season was a bit of an adjustment for the Bottineau Stars.

They had a new coach in Joe Bender, who took over for longtime coach Mike Forsberg, and were coming off a season where they lost a strong crop of seniors.

It led to an 8-14 season, but with some strong senior leadership and another offseason with Bender as coach sights are aimed higher this season.

“I think we know the offenses now, last year the first game we had, nobody knew anything,” Bender said. “It took a lot of adjustment time, and now with a year underneath our belt, I don’t even have to go over any new things we can just go over the little things.”

“There is a lot of strong senior leadership this year, and the girls coming off the bench are strong,” Bender added.

The Stars kick off their season as they have for the past many years in the Shootout on the Prairie in Minot. However, unlike the past few seasons they will play a familiar foe in Westhope-Newburg on Saturday. They will open the season against Dickinson Trinity on Friday night.

“I think the girls are real excited to play a little bit better schedule and the girls are doing really well at being on the same page,” Bender said. “I have a lot of girls returning that have varsity experience, and I think we’re going to do really well.”

One presence that will be missing will be 6-foot Whitney Brandvold, who graduated last year and is now playing for nearby Dakota College at Bottineau. Brandvold was the lone Star who made the All-District team last season.

It leaves the Stars lacking a bit in size inside.

“That’s something that we’ve got to preach this year is run and gun, an uptempo offense,” Bender said. “We’re going to have to press like crazy and our defense is going to have to initiate the offense.”

“Our offensive sets will be 50 percent of the offense and the other half will come from turnovers and a real chaotic press and in-your-face defense,” Bender added.

Bender also thinks that junior Kennedy Olson will help add some inside game for the Stars as she gets more comfortable.

Other returners with plenty of varsity experience include seniors Danielle McDonald, Rachael Fix, Megan Saville and Courtney Gallagher; juniors Stephanie Brenden, Maria Diepolder and Olson.

Also with some experience from a year ago is sophomore Megan Fix. Others expected to get some time on the court are junior Taisyn Rodriguez and sophomores Jocelyn Jahner and Kelsey Bowers.

“I think everybody is going to see a real good team that is all on the same page,” Bender said. “They are all very driven, and with the good senior leadership and all the returning experience I think it’s going to be a great year.”

The Stars’ first home game will be at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28 as they host Watford City.