North Montgomery girls basketball is beginning to find some rhythm. Through five games the Chargers are 2-3 on the young season but have won two straight over Attica and Frankfort. North now gets ready to compete in the 16th annual Girls Sugar Creek Classic which is hosted this year at Crawfordsville and gets underway on Friday.
The tournament which has routinely been dominated by Western Boone features as always our three county teams along with the Stars. North Montgomery will get things going in game one on Friday when they take on Western Boone at 6 pm. North Montgomery coach Ryan Nuppnau sees his teams two-game streak as positive momentum heading into the early season tournament.
We have two big wins to give us a shot of momentum going in,” he said. “We sure hope we can keep that momentum going. We know both nights will be tough battles. Western Boone is always scrappy. They are returning several players from last season also, so we expect them to be good, like they always are, and always good in the Classic.”
The Stars come in to the Sugar Creek Classic as the defending champions after topping Crawfordsville last year. This season WeBo enters with a 3-1 record and on a three-game winning streak after falling to West Lafayette in their season opener. It’s a senior-led group for the Stars that sees Carlie Pennington (12.3 points per game), Emmy Roys (11.3 ppg & 10.3 rpg), and Katheryn Rutherford (10.0 ppg & 10.0 rpg) all scoring in double figures.
“We know that they (WeBo) and whoever we play Saturday will get after us to try and force a lot of turnovers,” Nuppnau said. “We’ve had a couple of days to practice that and work on our adjustments. We’re excited every year about the Classic, and the chance to knock off Western Boone. The weekend is always a great measuring stick for all four teams, and is just a great way for the three county teams to renew their rivalries.”
At the end of the day Nuppnau notes how all of these teams will see each other again during the regular season when it matters in the conference standing and when the county title is on the line.
“The Classic comes at a great time of the season,” he said. “We have all had a few games to see how we are starting, and then we add the rivalries plus the fact we are all in the same conference. It’s a great way to get the second quarter of the season going.”
The winner between the Chargers and Stars will play in the championship game back at Crawfordsville on Saturday night at 7:30 vs the winner of Crawfordsville and Southmont. The loser will play in the consolation game on Saturday vs the CHS/SM loser beginning at 6.
