MONTAGUE — An unfortunate first-half performance on offense gave Montague an insurmountable halftime deficit Friday night against North Muskegon, though the Wildcats did show some improvement on that end in the second half of a 42-21 defeat.
At halftime, Montague trailed 16-1, with only a free throw from Marguerite O'Connell with less than two minutes to go in the half sparing the 'Cats from a first-half shutout. Obviously Montague struggled shooting the ball, but maybe even more so hanging onto the ball, as the North Muskegon defense repeatedly came up with turnovers that led to some easy baskets.
The Wildcats (1-4) played more aggressively on offense in the second half, but to little avail, as North Muskegon's lead expanded. Gentry Knop recorded a steal and a breakaway layup for Montague's first field goal early in the third quarter, then hit a three-pointer to answer one by the Norse, making it 19-6. However, North Muskegon ripped off the next 13 points to secure the win.
"When you're not making baskets, that doesn't help, but they came out in the second half, and we just had a lot more effort, and we stuck with it," Montague coach Jess DeBruin said. "I think our defense overall, other than that stretch...was decent. We definitely worked hard on defense. We just have to make more on the other end."
Delaney Young was a menace for the Norse, scoring 23 points in the game, 10 of them in the third quarter alone as her team kept the Wildcats at bay.
"She's a great player," DeBruin said of Young. "She took advantage of the fact that we let her take control. We tried to switch things up a little bit and she didn't get as much, but she knows how to see and attack the ball and get rebounds."
DeBruin credited Knop for helping keep the team locked in even as things were not going well early on. Knop entered the season as the only Wildcat with significant varsity experience, and it's been something the team has leaned on the first several games.
"That's what senior leadership is," DeBruin said. "She had a little bit of a lull towards the end of the second quarter, and we had a good discussion at halftime, and she just took that leadership to the next level. That's just going to make her an even better player."
Knop had six points in the game, second on the Wildcats to O'Connell's 10. O'Connell knocked down a three-pointer late in the third quarter to end the Norse's 13-0 run, and it was the first Montague field goal by someone besides Knop. She added a couple of more baskets in the fourth quarter.
The 'Cats hope the second half improvements lead to more success as the season picks back up following winter break.
"We did get better," DeBruin said of the second half. "When we play teams like this, they're going to help us get better, and it's just a matter of how we respond to this in the next game."
