Phillips County News - One Nation, Under God

The Malta Mustangs Basketball team brings back a couple of All-Conference seniors, four juniors, and a few new and talented faces in their 2021-22 campaign.

Last year, the team reached the consolation finals of the 2021 Northern B Divisional but fell 72-54 to the Harlem Wildcats.

The Mustangs will have a new look this season thanks in part to graduation. The team graduated Kooper Oxarart, who was the Mustangs' lone All-State selection in 2021. The team will also be without Pierce Mortenson, who was named to the All-Conference team last season.

Malta does welcome back two All-Conference Athletes; Rex Williamson, a senior that earned first-team honors, and senior Connor Tuss who earned second-team honors.

The Mustangs do welcome back a few players that saw varsity minutes over the past year including guard Kaden Bishop, and Jared Eggebrecht who have started games early in this season.

This year's group also welcomes a young group of freshmen that have been playing together and winning tournaments for years together.

Malta Head Coach David Costin was asked about his starters and what they bring to the team.

He started by talking about point guard Rex Williamson.

"Rex is so athletic and so strong," Coach Costin said. "On both ends of the floor, he can make whatever he wants to do, happen. Defensively, he is so quick."

Coach Costin also mentioned that Williamson is shooting the ball well early in the season and that he is a quiet leader who is outworked by no one.

The next player mentioned was Tuss, a 6'5" senior.

"We just love his size," Coach Costin said. "With his size, we can do so many things defensively."

Coach Costin said that despite being a taller player, Tuss does a good job staying out of foul trouble.

"He doesn't get himself in trouble by trying to block shots," Coach Costin said. "He stays vertical, and in doing that he bothers a lot of shots."

His ability to run the dribble drive offense has been another positive, according to Coach Costin.

"He can also knock the three down, so he is a tough matchup for the opposing team," Coach Costin said.

In addition, he said that Tuss has the ability to guard opposing players inside and outside of the perimeter.

The final three starting spots will consist of athletes from the junior class early in the season. This includes Bishop, Eggebrecht, as well as Seth Siewing and Jonathan Siewing.

"Kaden just brings a lot of energy to the game," Coach Costin said. "He plays hard. He is a good shooter that handles the ball really well, and he is pretty athletic and quick, so he is a good defender for us as well."

Next, he mentioned Eggebrecht, who he called intelligent, and said that he is a good shooter.

"He is just one of those kids that is really steady," Coach Costin said. "He hardly makes a mistake, he is always doing the right thing."

He said that the same can be said of S. Siewing and J. Siewing.

Coach Costin does want to eventually see his juniors play more aggressively, and take chances on both ends of the floor.

As far as the team's reserves go, the freshman class has logged some minutes early in the season. Those freshmen include Stockton Oxarart, Bodhi Brenden, and Treyten Wilke. The team also welcomed back sophomore Carson Ottinger, who has seen time on the floor.

Malta senior Connor Tuss makes a fast break lay up in Malta's loss to Havre last Tuesday in Malta. Photo by Pierre Bibbs.

"They are doing very well," Coach Costin said. "It's just a matter of execution, learning how we do things, what to do, and when to do it."

When the younger athletes get comfortable doing the things that Coach Costin is looking for, they will see more time on the court.

So far, Malta is 1-2 after losing their opening game 43-40 to Havre on Tuesday, December 7, in Malta, defeating Loyola-Sacred Heart 54-48 on Friday, December 10, and then losing 59-46 to Three Forks on Saturday.