Superior Bobcats battle their own on the court

SUPERIOR – The Superior Bobcats basketball team waged a small civil war Saturday as members played against each other in a scrimmage match for one of the last practice sessions before the season begins.

The team was divided into two smaller groups, the blue team and the white team. After everyone had been divided and had the right color jersey, the scrimmage started.

Two half games were played with different team make-ups for each one. In the first game, the team was divided evenly down the middle.

The game was fast paced and the players knew their roles well. Both sides were playing to win. Throughout most of the game, blocks and steals were made from both sides.

The final score of the first game was close with the white team taking the game 31 to 26. The second game was not as close.

For the second game, Head Coach Chris Toivenen divided the team by year and put all the varsity players together on the white team. The underclassmen were all together on the blue team. Lady Bobcats’ Head Coach Jeff Schultz acted as referee during the scrimmage.

The difference in experience level was apparent immediately. The varsity players quickly pulled ahead and stayed there throughout the game. While both teams were strong, the more experienced varsity players beat their teammates with a final score of 46-6.

By the end of the games, Toivenen saw a lot of improvement from both groups of players. The younger guys on the team handled the ball well and had improved over the two weeks of practice, which led up to the game. In the older players, he saw better defensive tactics and management of the ball.

“There were a lot of good things that we saw,” said Toivenen. “Still a work in progress, but they’re getting there.”

Despite the fact the junior varsity group suffered a big defeat in the second game, Toivenen was not disappointed. In fact, he seemed to expect the outcome.

“It’s not an indictment on the JV,” said Toivenen. “It’s just, the varsity’s really good.”

He said it was not uncommon for the varsity players to beat the underclassmen. The games were a good indicator of how the team stands and how it would do in a real game.

Toivenen would not make a prediction about how the team would fare this season. He said it was not his job to guess about it and he was more concerned with getting the team to where it needed to be.

This week, Toivenen has worked with the team to focus on the opponent more than the fundamentals of the game. While those will still be part of practices this week, strategies against another team will take a slightly higher priority. Toivenen also said the younger players’ ball handling skills and the varsity players’ execution of plays would be worked on in practice.

The Bobcats’ first games of the season will be at the Drummond Tournament on Friday, December 13, and Saturday, December 14. Some of the opposition in the tournament has been said to have the possibility of becoming the best teams in the district. These first games will give a good idea of the Bobcats’ standing this season.