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2-14-2007 By ERIC AHLQVIST Editor The teams will meet in the Tri- Valley Championship Game at Oneonta State at 4:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon. For CV-S, (16-2 overall) it will be their first trip to the title game in 20 years, while the Lady Mustangs (14-5) are the defending T-V champions, having defeated Milford in last year's title game. That experience may be the only thing that separates the teams. "When I look at their team it's like looking in the mirror," said Morris' fourth-year head coach Kerry Mason. Mason calls his team the "Magnificent Seven," while CV-S head coach Amy Garretson opted for the "Super Seven," and since a midseason call-up of Nadine Guernsey from the junior varsity, her team is now the "Super Seven Plus One." Inside those seven players, both teams have a "Big Three." For CVS, that consists of sophomore point guard Morgan VanAlstine, who averages over 13 points and 9.5 rebounds- a-game. Junior center Laura Kroon averages 10.4 points and 10.8 rebounds-a-contest, and junior forward Courtney VanBrink contributes team-highs of 13.6 points and a whopping 16.3 rebounds-agame. Morris counters with senior guard Gretchen Meyer, whom Mason said is likely the best all-around player he has coached at Morris. She averages 9.6 points, nine rebounds and three assists-a-game. "She can affect the game in so many ways, it doesn't have to be just scoring," Mason added. Center Kayla Forgit, like Kroon, is 6'0" tall and averages an almost identical 11 points and eight rebounds- a-game. Finally, there is Morris' Kate Meyers, another senior who contributes 9.3 points and 7 rebounds-a-game. CV-S won the teams' only regular season meeting, 39-35, on Feb. 4 in a game that wasn't decided until the final seconds. "I'd be shocked if we didn't have another close game," Mason said. "They are a little taller than us, so a big key for us will be boxing out and limiting them to one shot." Garretson said nerves may be the biggest obstacle facing her team. "Playing in front of a big crowd in a big game is a big obstacle we have to overcome," she said. "But I think the excitement of playing in the game will override the nerves." The other two starters for CV-S include Morgan Shuster, who led the team with 54 steals, and Janet Fish. Fiona Doherty and Savannah Whiteman are the first two substitutes off the bench. For Morris, Kayla Card (6 points, 4 rebounds) and sophomore point guard Aylisa Hite round out the starting five. Molly Goodwin is the team's defensive specialist, and Mason used her on VanAlstine in a box-and-one defense the first time the teams met. Krissy Banks rounds out the roster for the Mustangs, and had 28 steals this season. "I have a lot of respect for their program and what they were able to accomplish this year," Mason said. "This is a fun time for the schools and the communities, and I think it will be a great game." |
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