The Lady Mavericks Are Off To a 4-0 Start

The North Country Lady Mavericks are off to a 4-0 start in their 2022-23 campaign.

The team has retained most of their talent from last season. The Lady Mavs took home the third place trophy from the 2022 State C Tournament after defeating Twin Bridges 68-30 in the consolation finals.

According to Head Coach Amber Erickson, the team has been busy in the offseason.

"I am super excited for this season and this group of girls," Coach Erickson said. "They played a lot of games this summer and I can already see big improvements in them from last year."

She also said that the team is fine tuning things on offense and defense that they are familiar with and adding new plays this season.

The team will be without graduated seniors Jaycee Erickson and Zandora Longtree, who both earned a spot on the 2022 District 3C All-Conference List.

The Mavericks welcome back three athletes on the list; senior Kora LaBrie and juniors Teagan Erickson and Paige Wasson. Erickson and Wasson were both All-State selections in 2022.

Coach Erickson broke down her starting line up and what each player brings to the team.

"This season I feel like I have seven kids that could easily start for our team. We are figuring out our sub rotations and things are going well."

Kora LaBrie - has put a lot of time in the gym shooting over the summer and doing a great job knocking down shots and helping run the point, she is a hard-nosed defender and a hustler.

Mattea McColly - is so strong and physical, she has really come on in the post for us this year offensively and defensively and is a strong rebounder.

Teagan Erickson - is so lanky and athletic and versatile, being able to play her in the post and at the guard position is such a huge asset. She understands the game and see's the floor so well. She contributes so much to the team in all facets of the game.

Paige Wasson - is such an explosive player on both ends of the floor and she can flat out score in all three areas of the game: shooting, driving and pull up jumpers.

Shelbi LaBrie - after having a year under her in our system, Shelbi is so much more comfortable on the floor this season. She gets after it every play and isn't afraid to compete.

Coach Erickson also talked about a few of the athletes coming off of the bench so far this season.

Josie Brown - has put time in this summer to improve her shooting and ball handling. She is so fast and is learning to be a tenacious aggressive defender.

Kendall Scheffelmear - is lanky and athletic and knows how to seal and get position inside at the post. She is tough to shoot over with her length and has a natural knack for rebounding.

Cienna Strommen - is another one of our seniors and has had to deal with several injuries throughout her high school career. She is an amazing teammate and a very unselfish person who is always cheering on her teammates and giving them positive support.

Sammie Wisher - is our fourth senior and she is such an energetic person who is a blast to have around. She wasn't sure she was going to play this year and we are glad she decided to stick it out one more season.

Last weekend, the Lady Mavericks picked up a pair of wins at the Lewistown Classic last weekend. They defeated the Roy-Winifred Outlaws 43-37 on Saturday, December 10. They posted a dominant 61-26 victory over Fort Benton on Friday, December 9.

Wasson led the Lady Mavericks against Roy-Winifred with nine points, three rebounds, amd five steals. S. LaBrie had eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. K. LaBrie had eight points, three rebounds, and three steals.

"Winifred-Roy were the State Champions last season and although they lost a few key players to graduation they will definitely be one of the favorites for Class C again," Coach Erickson said. "I was proud of my team in how that just battled every play and trusted each other and our game plan to work down the stretch. We were able to go on a few runs in the second half which included several players hitting big shots that all contributed to a great hard-fought win."

Wasson led the Mavericks in their win over Fort Benton with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. K. LaBrie had 12 points and five steals. Erickson had 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. McColly had eight points.