Future of Lake Fenton Boys, Girls Basketball is Bright

As the boys and girls junior varsity basketball seasons passed, both teams showed that their will be a lot of depth in the basketball program in the coming seasons.

The boys team, which finished the season 13-7, lost five of those games by a combined 22 points. The keys for the team were defense and balance offensively.

"We improved a lot on the defensive end of the court," said coach Steven Muenzer.  "Every day all I asked my kids was to get better when we step on the court.  They played so hard every possession on the court and we had a lot of fun on and off the court."

Players Darian Welch, Caleb Nealy, Jeff Burke, Jed Horski, Tyler Begley, Sawyer Scott, Tim Hooks, Pierre Johnson, Lance Hasenfratz and Zac Zielinski have all made contributions this season.

"Everyone kind of fed off of each other," Muenzer said.  "If someone was on one night, the next night someone else would pick up the slack."

The team had several moments that stood out over the course of the season. After losing their first game against Mt. Morris on what Muenzer said was a questionable call, the team responded the second time they played Mt. Morris, beating them by 10. A comeback win against Croswell-Lexington, a game in which Lake Fenton trailed by eight at the half, was also memorable for Muenzer.

The progression of the team over the course of the season has Muenzer excited about what they will be able to accomplish as future varsity players.

"If they work hard this summer, they will be successful on the varsity level under coach (Matt) Furey," Muenzer said.  "Coach Furey has the program going in the right direction. He has led the varsity to two district finals with chances to win both games. We have a bright future for Lake Fenton boys basketball."

The girls team finished 10-9 and, like the boys team, had several close losses that they had a chance to win.

"The girls were in all but three games right until the end," said girls JV coach Dan Schloegl.

Defense and rebounding were major strengths for the team this season, but Schloegl said the team's biggest improvements were the ability to work as a team and handle defensive pressure.

"At the beginning of the year when teams pressed us we would try and dribble through it, usually with heads down," he said. "Towards the end of the season the girls moved the ball around and broke the press with ease."

One of the memorable performances of the season came against Montrose. After losing to the Rams in the first meeting, Lake Fenton trailed by 11 at halftime in the second game. The team staged a furious comeback and won on a buzzer-beating shot.

"After halftime the girls really played some great basketball," Schloegl said.

Players on this year's team were: Alexandra Blossom, Carolyn Brecht, Denise Carlson, Laura Carlson, Becky Copeland, Alicia Crane, Ashton Fuller, Taylor Hudgens, Debbie Katerberg, Emma Kusnier, Miranda Quick, Taylor Sheyachich, Jillian Skyner, Megan Somers, Tyra Stowe and Patricia Whittaker.

Spots on Lake Fenton's varsity squad will be hard to come by next season with only one senior graduating, so the JV players will have to continue to show improvement and work hard during the offseason in order to compete for a spot on varsity.

"The girls have to continue to improve if they want to play on the varsity level," Schloegl said. "The JV players have to continue getting better at their basketball skills."