Youth Basketball finishes regular season, prepares for tournaments
WAUSA — The Wausa Youth Boys and Girls Basketball League was very busy in the final weekend of play before the tournament next weekend. The weather cooperated and no games had to postponed or cancelled due to ice. The young athletes have improved over the past three weeks and are ready to start the tournament. The league works to help these young athletes to gain experience and time on the court to learn the fundamentals and to understand the fouls that happen. The league has also been beneficial to the town with the additional traffic that comes along with the games. These young athletes have quite the following with their family and friends.
Play for the 3rd/4th grade boys started Saturday morning. The Vikings took on Crofton 3rd grade. The little Vikings played well and were able to work on different fundamentals during the game. The young Vikings won the game along with their next game against Plainview 4th grade. Curtis Maertins is the coach for this age group and works with the boys every week during practice to help them learn and on Saturdays all the boys get to practice those fundamentals during the games. The young boys work together to make sure every teammate gets a chance to make a basket and it is exciting to watch.
The 3rd/4th grade girls were in action on Saturday afternoon at the auditorium. The little Lady Vikings took on the Hartington White in their first game. The young girls played well and are working every week to get better on running plays. They were able to secure the win. The next game against Plainview 3rd grade had a different outcome. The little Lady Vikings just could not get the baskets to fall. They played hard and had great defensive moves. Their understanding of the game is improving every week. Despite their best efforts, they did come up short against Plainview 3rd grade. Kyle Korth, Hadley Vanness, Brian and Blair Wakeley have coached the girls this season and have seen them work hard to learn the fundamentals. The coaches tell the girls they do not care if they win or lose but rather that they are learning and having fun. At this age, it is very important for the young athletes to learn the plays and the positions on the court and apply it to game situations.
Sunday morning was a little icy, but the sun was able to melt away many icy spots, so the 5th and 6th grade girls and boys could have their games, played at the auditorium. The 5th grade girls took on Bloomfield 5th/6th grade girls. Their ability on the court was very fun to watch. They did not come out with the win, but they put up a good fight.
The next game for them was against Hartington 5th/6th grade. The Lady Vikings played a good game but were unable to get the baskets to fall in their favor. The Wausa 5th grade girls did come up just a little short.
The 6th grade girls took on the Laurel 5th grade girls on Sunday and played well. The Lady Vikings were very aggressive and looked good on the court. They were unable to secure the win though despite their best efforts. Next, they took on Creighton 5th/6th grade. The girls played well together and were able to run their plays quite a few times. The Lady Vikings did fall though in the end to Creighton.
The 5th and 6th grade girls are coached by Shane Anderson, Mike and LaNell Kumm.
The 5th and 6th grade boys were in action Sunday, too, but were at the gym. The 5th grade boys started the morning by taking on Laurel 5th grade boys. The 5th grade boys were shooting well and were able to secure 21 points. Even though the 5th grade Vikings were able to shoot well, Laurel got 3 more points than them to win the game.
Their next game was against Creighton 5th/6th grade and it was a close game. The Vikings played well defensively and only let Creighton score 19 points. The Vikings lost by 2 points despite their great defensive game. The 5th grade boys are coached by Brandon Kirby.
The 6th grade boys also played on Sunday at the gym. The 6th grade Vikings had a good day and were able to bring home 2 wins against Crofton 6th grade and Hartington 5th/6th grade. The 6th grade boys played a good game and even made quite a few 3-point shots. They play well defensively and are able to limit the points made by the other teams they play. The 6th grade Vikings are coached by Brandon Kristensen and Tim Schindler.
The League tournament will be this coming weekend. If you have not gotten to watch any of these teams play, this will be your last opportunity this season. These young athletes and their coaches have worked hard this season to learn and play. If you see any of these young athletes or their coaches, take a moment to thank them for their time and dedication this year. Coaching is a thankless job, and these volunteers do it anyway. Without their coaches and the league, these young athletes would not have as much opportunity to learn the fundamentals.
The league volunteers are also important to help foster a learning environment. Without these volunteers, the games each weekend would not be possible. These volunteers work the admission table, concession stand and ref games. At the end of each Saturday and Sunday, they also help clean up each location. The league is also very appreciative of the support of the community and the local businesses. If you would like to help in anyway, please reach out to Shelbey West or the coaches.
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