By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson — Ryan Carroll called the season so far a ‘challenge’ and a ‘guessing game.’
And that much the Northwest girls basketball coach loves.
It was last winter, with a group of varsity veterans, that Carroll helped guide the Mounties to a 22-3 record.
It was also last year that Carroll and the Mounties bud farewell to five key seniors who had formed and shaped exactly what the program had become.
So, when the 2016-17 season launched, Northwest was in a slight rebuild on the fly.
“The challenge has been a sort of guessing game, trying to see who’s going to step up or take that leadership role in any given game,” Carroll said. “Truthfully, it’s been fun. I’m working harder at it and they are accepting the challenge to do different things.
As of Thursday morning, the rebuild has been more of a stepping stone.
The Mounties were an impressive 9-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play following Tuesday’s 35-26 victory over Eaton Rapids.
Nine wins in 13 games, and spot near the top of the standings in the I-8, is impressive considering the losses of Lexie Khon, Haley Nugent and Alyssa Stull, among others, who graduated from last year’s squad.
Marshall (8-0) is the only team ahead of the Mounties in the conference standings.
“There was a real bonding that happened with this group,” Carroll said. “It’s been a challenge in terms of where minutes go and who steps up each night for us. In the past few years, we’ve had a rotation we were used to. Things kind of fell into place every game.”
But with girls like Ella Bontrager and Carson Sleight, a pair of varsity vets, back in the mix, there hasn’t been that step back as some may have expected.
“We have enough experience with enough kids who’ve played basketball their entire lives,” Carroll said. “Maybe they haven’t played varsity that long, but they understand the game.”
As strong as Northwest has been, Carroll said it’s almost scary to think how close the team is to being even better in the win-loss record.
The second loss of the season was a six-point setback in overtime to Harper Creek.
The team’s last loss, Jan. 13, was a 41-40 decision against Marshall.
“We’re trying to win every conference game we play,” Carroll said when asked about the rest of the season. “At the same time, we know Marshall is going to be tough to catch. The key for us is putting together that rotation, figuring out who goes where so we are playing our best come playoff time.”
And come playoff time?
“Very confident we can make a run,” Carroll said. “With the pieces we have in place, we have a chance to win a district title and move on.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports.
He’s also a Real Estate agent with Real Estate One, specializing with buyers and sellers throughout Michigan, from the Jackson area to metro Detroit. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu or by calling (313) 770-6365 with any inquiries.
