Coach Jim Rinne says the education of his young Dunsmuir High School girls basketball team has been “a trial by fire.”
The Tigers have been burned and some bright spots can be seen, the coach said after an 0-3 week that included a 60-18 home loss to Tulelake on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and road losses the following day at Butte Valley and Friday at Happy Camp.
“The girls are working hard and improving. Our defense improves every game,” Rinne said. “It was a discouraging week, but the girls are hanging in there... They need to transfer what they do in practice to game situations.”
Dunsmuir’s 2010 roster includes only three players with significant past varsity experience, seniors Jamie Kirch and Anna VanErt and junior Katie McIntyre.
Rinne said they’re providing good leadership, while the less experienced players, two juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen, are working hard.
Things got particularly difficult in recent games when opponents played zone defense and the Tigers were unable to make their outside shots.
“We’re struggling with ball handling and outside shooting,” Rinne said after the 51-4 loss at Butte Valley and 55-13 loss at Happy Camp.
The high scorers of the three-game week were McIntyre, who finished with 7 against Tulelake, and sophomore Clara Weld, who scored 6 at The Camp.
Kirch “moved the ball pretty well in the second half against Happy Camp and got us some good shots,” said Rinne, who also praised VanErt for her defense.
League-leading Butte Valley, 17-0 overall after a 58-26 win Feb. 2 over Tulelake, has left many of its opponents feeling helpless this season.
The Bulldogs from Dorris have won by scores like 67-13 over Elk Creek, 60-28 over Bonanza, 90-32 over Surprise Valley, 59-22 over Big Valley and 70-24 over Dunsmuir during the Tigers’ own preseason tournament Dec. 12.
They feature 5-foot-5 senior Bethany Holguin, who is ranked fifth in the Northern Section with 19.1 points per game. She scored 15 in the recent game against the Tigers.
“They’re real good,” Rinne said of Butte Valley, adding that the Tigers “didn’t play as well as we think we should.”
Happy Camp, on the other hand, “is not as big and physical as Butte Valley,” the coach said. “We played tough on their three top scorers, but another player put in four twos in the first quarter, all from the outside. Their main three-point people did not hit a three until the fourth quarter.”
Looking ahead to the second half of the EL season, Rinne said, “We need to step up our offense. If we can get our shooting woes solved, we can compete with Happy Camp.”
Dunsmuir, Calif. —
