Superior girls aim to build on last season's success

The best thing about inexperience is that it eventually, with persistence, gives way to experience.

And experience often breeds success. 

With top-flight leadership, the chances and progress of success goes up. 

So take heart Superior Lady Bobcats fans, experience is in the making and leadership, under the direction of head coach Jeff Schultz and assistants Jessica Nagy and Lanie Crabb is at hand. 

This year’s team is full of returning players from a team that went 6-14 in 2023-24 but was better than the record indicated. 

Inexperience does that. 

And the corps of returnees are solid players, schooled in the art of basketball by Schultz and company. Throw in some solid athleticism and developing talent and better days are at hand. 

Among the returnees is multiple sport standout, senior Braelyn Mangold a workhorse in the paint and a solid all-around player.  She is joined by juniors Maggie Haworth, Mackenzie Reum, Marysa Swope and Peri Jasper, all players with another year of experience and developing talent. 

Add in sophomores Josie Crabb, a tenacious player in the mold of her sister Lanie, and the recipe for success is on the menu. 

Superior lost only two players from last year’s team, Eddye Betts and Alysha Ryan, both of whom coach Schultz said will be missed. 

And with hard work, a staple of Schultz-coached teams, and a desire to win, the Lady Bobcats are very likely on the way up. 

“We have a young team again,” coach Schultz said. “But at least we have experience.  We only graduated two players and all the girls who are returning played major minutes for us last year.  We should in theory know what we are doing a lot more.  They play hard and we should be a very physical team that works hard and extremely well together”. 

Those have been the hallmarks of Schultz’s coaching resume, a prime example being the consistent success enjoyed by the school’s football, of which Schultz is the head coach. 

It’s the Superior way. 

Schultz said the team has been working this preseason on improving its shooting and rebounding, two statistics that hurt the team in key games.  The Lady Cats were in several games to the end of last season. 

Superior plays in the Class 7B district, a notoriously tough conference featuring traditional powers Thompson Falls, Mission and, last year in particular Eureka.  Those teams are likely to be tough again this year, a true measuring stick for Superior. 

When they are not playing in 7B conference games, the Lady Cats take on a daunting schedule of Class C teams, including Seeley, Charlo, Drummond, Hot Springs and Valley Christian. 

Last year, Superior beat Class B Plains, Hot Springs, Victor and Troy twice. 

Superior begins its upward climb this weekend where they are scheduled to take part in the Hamilton Tip-off tournament.  They open their home schedule with a game against Hot Springs December 17.