GRAYLING — Coach Sparky Nitchman had hoped for better results when the Grayling girls basketball team came out of the Christmas break. But things went south for the Vikings right off the bat and they tumbled to a 65-35 loss on Friday, Jan. 6 to snap a two-game winning streak.
Natalie Amy was the only player in double figures for Grayling with 10 points, Molly Leslie came close with nine and Erin Prosser added eight. But the Vikings’ offense could never take flight against the stingy Charlevoix defense.
Nitchman thought the Vikings (2-5 overall, 0-2 LMC) were ready for the game after a good week of practice and good turnouts for practice during the Christmas break that included a scrimmage with Ogemaw Heights and Ellsworth.
“We worked a lot on fundamentals and getting a lot of shots off,” Nitchman said. “I thought the girls were really prepared going into the Charlevoix game. Our shots weren’t falling too much and we gave up a lot of offensive rebounds.
“Charlevoix went to the free throw line quite a bit. They outrebounded us quite a bit and get a lot of second chance points. That definitely helped them build an early advantage that weren’t able to overcome.”
Despite the loss Nitchman has been pleased with the continued good attitudes and effort of his seniors who have been doing the bulk of the scoring so far. The other senior Jacalyn Denton was recently given medical clearance to resume playing after missing the first five weeks with a heel injury.
Playing the three and the four positions Denton’s return gives the Vikings a major boost and considerably more depth. She gives the Vikings another weapon to the draw the attention of the opponent defenses.
“She brings a lot of effort every day to practice so practices are going to improve,” Nitchman added. “It gives us a lot more depth at the wing position, down low and especially defensively. So we’re excited to have her back.”
The Vikings enter a stretch of four straight home conference games beginning with Friday night’s contest against East Jordan. After that the Vikings will take on Harbor Springs and Elk Rapids the following week.
