Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
It was nearly a perfect storm for the Clare girls basketball team this season, winning a Jack Pine Conference championship and district and regional titles. That storm came to an abrupt end, however, when the Pioneers dropped a heartbreaking 57-56 loss to Bullock Creek in the class B Houghton Lake regional.
“I think the team was successful this year because we had a group of girls that have worked hard in the off-season to improve,” head coach Matt Rodenbo said. “Team chemistry was also excellent. We also had a lot of experience. For most of these girls, it was their third year playing varsity basketball.”
The Pioneers, who finished the season 23-2, had an outstanding senior class, led by the likes of Ashley Petree, Courtney English, and Melissa Benchley.
“It’s hard to explain what our seniors have meant to the program,” Rodenbo said. “They have given us everything they have had every time on the floor. They have talent, but they combine effort and determination. Sometimes it’s tough to find that combination. I coached our seniors in junior high and now the last two years in high school. I knew the first day of practice back when they were in seventh grade that they were special.
“English stepping up this year the way she did was just awesome,” Rodenbo added. “Benchley really improved her shooting this year. Petree plays so much bigger than she really is. I am just so proud of them.”
Mixed in with the strong senior class were juniors Corinne Wezensky, Alex Stark, and 1000-plus point scorer and first team all-stater Lindsay Winter.
“Lindsay had an outstanding year,” Rodenbo said. “I cannot keep her out of the gym. She is just a worker. She will continue to get better because that is the type of kid she is. She is somewhere around 1300 points and she will surpass the school record sometime early next season.
“I really think that the sky is the limit for Corinne,” he added. “All aspects of her game have improved, and she will continue to get better… Stark came off the bench for us this year and did an outstanding job. She is multi-dimensional, which means we could use her at any position, which is a great asset to have.”
Though this year’s regional title was the first for the Lady Pioneers’ basketball program, Rodenbo is hoping the future contains more celebrations like this year’s squad enjoyed.
“I was depressed the first few days after that last loss, but when you sit back and look at it and realize that we just went farther than we have ever went before, you start to see things more clearly,” Rodenbo said. I am just so happy for our seniors and the season that they had. It was a great achievement for them.
“The bar has been set high, no question,” he added. “The bottom line is that players are not made in November. Players are made in June.