Sky’s the limit for Tuscola Lady Warriors junior class basketball team

By Lenny Sementi
This week the spotlight is on the junior class of basketball players. Girls basketball coach Tim Kohlbecker’s third years consists of five strong players that may have only scratched the surface of what they may be capable of down the road. The group was part of a JV squad last season that went undefeated winning all seventeen contests and also possessed a varsity starter to boot. 

“This class offers a lot of versatility,” stated the coach. “They have the abilities needed to play multiple positions and roles on the floor.” In his eyes the sky is truly the limit. Sophie Kremitzki entered the starting lineup midway through her freshman campaign and has been a mainstay in it since that time. Kohlbecker feels she could play any number of positions and that she is poised for a breakout season. Last year she accounted for 83 rebounds, 30 assists, 63 steals and 152 points to the cause. She was a weapon outside the arc draining 14 over the course of the season. 

Maddie Stahler also saw time on the varsity floor a year ago and like Kremitzki is a threat from outside the arc as well as drive to a jump stop and pop one in. She led the way in the preliminary games tallying 133 points, 46 steals and 32 assists. Kohlbecker feels she is arguably the best pull up jump shooter on the team. He also thinks very highly of Kyla Gough’s shooting ability, “Kyla has worked extremely hard and quite possibly might have the best shooting mechanics on the entire team.” 

Classmate Abigail Pettry is another offensive talent. She is very good from downtown but also has the uncanny ability to score in one on one situations off the dribble. 

The final piece to the puzzle is Taylor Musgrave. She was a big donor at the JV level as a freshman and would have competed for a spot on the varsity floor as a sophomore but missed her entire sophomore season dealing with back issues.  Despite the injury Musgrave attended almost every practice and all the games and her competitive nature and athletic ability will lead to a big contribution to the squad. 

 “As a group, they have not approached their skills ceiling,” commented Kohlbecker. “So with the right work ethic, they could have two successful seasons in front of them.”