Trotters tip off summer schedule with help from UM Lady Griz star Katie Baker

The Plains Trotters started their summer workouts by holding a three day camp and summer league game against Superior last week. 

University of Montana Lady Griz star Katie Baker came bye on Monday and Tuesday to help show the Trotters a thing or two about playing basketball.

This years camp is different from those of past summers, this year coach Richard Griffin introduced cross training and film study to the camp schedule. There were 30 to 35 girls who showed up and they were broken into three groups one group would work on basketball drills with Baker, one group went with Griffin to watch film and the other went with coach Griffins wife to work on cross training.

Monday was focused on drill work as the girls looked to improve on an individual basis, Tuesday brought more drill work but ended with the campers getting to play 3 on 3 full court games, Baker joined in on the up and down action joining a team with two Trotter girls.

“We started our combination camp of cross training, basketball, and film watching. We had Katie Baker of the Lady Griz, she came and showed the girls some drill and was just real positive with them, and got the girls exited about playing basketball this summer,” said Griffin.

Baker is going into her senior year at the University of Montana and her high school coach Royce Johnson played for the Plains state championship team and thought she would have a good influence on the Plains girls.

“I love helping out girls, I remember being their age and how it was. I just want to help them get better. I love doing things like this using my coaching skills to help younger girls. I also love helping Royce out and he thought this would be a great option for me,” said Baker.

Trotters junior Sami Kinzie on being able to play with and learn from Baker for two days.

“It was an honor, it was great for her to take time out and come to Plains! It was just awesome”

On Wednesday the girls learned about injury prevention and got to run up and down with some 5 on 5 action, before welcoming in Superior for their first summer league game of 2012.

The Wildcats brought their JV and varsity teams to play the Trotters, each squad got to run two 20 minute games. The Trotters varsity went 2-0 winning the opener 24-19, and pulled out a tight one 15-14. The ‘Cats JV got the best of Plains winning the first game 11-9 and the second 6-5.

“It was more about getting up and down and having some fun, not so much about the score,” said Griffin.

The Trotters closed out there summer league schedule on Saturday when they traveled to Darby.

“We are going to Darby and competing in the Iron Women tournament, its five games one day so the girls will be able to have some fun and get tested at the same time,” said Griffin

Plains took six freshman, three sophomores and one senior to Darby to play in the varsity tournament, the young plains team went 2-3 beating Ronan twice and losing their three games by a combined 23 points.

“The way our younger girls stepped up and played composed and held their own was fantastic,” said Griffin.