 1999/2000 Game ResultsLast Updated: December 17, 1999 |
December 5, 1999
Menomonie Girls
- Coach: Jim Negrini, 1st year.
- 1998-99 record: 9-5 Big Rivers, 18-6 overall.
- Returning starters (5): SENIORS--Meghan Fieber, 5-5, G; Sara Kahl, 5-10, F; Jess Larson, 5-9, F; Amanda Veith, 6-3, C. JUNIORS--Jackie Dummer, 5-9, G.
- Other letterwinners (3): SENIORS--Lindsay Labs, 5-11, F; Stef Long, 5-9, F; Lisa Lybert, 5-6, G.
- Newcomers (3): JUNIORS--Christina Buckles, 5-9, F; Kari Harmon, 5-10, F; Andrea Quilling, 5-7, G.
- Strengths: Experience depth athleticism hunger.
- Weaknesses: Adjustment period, with new head coach unfamiliar high expectations.
- Coach's comment: "I'm very pleased with how things have been coming together, but there's still work to be done."
-- Jim Negrini
Indians ready to
go a step further
Same players, new coach start over
By Steve Beaudry
MENOMONIE -- Jess Larson's jaw was clenched so tightly, her teeth threatened to shatter under the pressure.
The scoreboard clock showed 1 minute, 6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the WIAA Division 1 Marshfield Sectional final last March 6. Larson, a 5-foot-9 Menomonie forward, stood defenseless and watched Merrill guard Nicole Gebert sink the free throws that snuffed the Indians' comeback hopes.
And their improbable run through the playoffs. And their season -- one win short of their first state-tournament berth in team history.
But Larson's pained expression had another origin. Though never one to complain, physically, she was hurting.
"I'd never had knee problems in my life -- until last year," said Larson, who suffered bruised meniscus cartilage in her left knee in a game against River Falls on Feb. 19. "I played through it. But it really set me back."
The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for Larson, the Indians' "picker-upper," according to teammate Jackie Dummer.
Heading into the Feb. 19 game, Larson was Menomonie's leading scorer and rebounder. She was fresh off a career-high 29-point game.
But, by playoff time, the injury had sapped Larson's effectiveness. She managed just four points in the sectional playoffs -- zero in the Indians' 47-37 loss to Merrill.
"Frustrating? Yeah, you could say that," Larson said. "For us to have gotten as far as we did was a blast. We surprised everyone. We worked so hard and so well together.
"But I can't help thinking about how far we would've gotten if I'd have been healthy at the end."
Larson might have a chance to find out. This season, she is one of Menomonie's five returning starters. In all, the Indians lost just two of their top 10 players from their 1998-99 team to graduation.
The team's most notable loss is its coach, Mark Marsden, who left in July to become the girls basketball coach at Janesville Craig, near his hometown of Beloit. Filling the void, though, is Jim Negrini -- one of the state's most accomplished coaches. In 12 seasons at Eau Claire Regis, Negrini's teams won 240 of their 300 games.
"I've been blessed with some outstanding athletes here," Negrini said. "It's apparent they've played a lot of years together. I'm hoping I can continue what Mark started here."
With their spirited playoff run of last season still a vivid memory, the Indians don't need any additional emotional firewood to pump them up. Still, they got some on Nov. 19.
"We were down in Madison, watching our football team win state," Larson said. "We're up in the bleachers, looking at each other, saying, Hey! We want that to be us!' "