Despite key injury, Armada girls basketball kept afloat by its senior core
Injuries have forced girls basketball teams in the Blue Water Area to adapt all season. Imlay City has been without its leading scorer since Feb. 3. Port Huron is currently down two starters.
But the situation at Armada is bit different. The Tigers lost last year's leading scorer, sophomore Claire Sniesak, to an injury before the season even began. They haven't been at full strength since March 2022.
Despite this, Armada is still on pace to match last season's record of 14-8. Better yet, the team is getting hot at just the right time.
"We only have three seniors, but they're our core," Armada coach John Baerwolf said. "Meya Drob, Ella Sutton and Brooklyn Pratt … those are our core players. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be having this success late in the season."
The Tigers have won three out of their past four games and were 12-8 overall entering Thursday. They're also 8-5 in the BWAC. Only North Branch (12-1) and Imlay City (10-3) have better records in conference play.
"I know all three of us seniors, we really want (to win)," Pratt said. "We're encouraging our teammates a lot and, obviously, they want (to win) to. So, we all have a common goal and that helps."
While the three seniors share the same objective, they each have their own different roles. Drob leads Armada in scoring and Sutton is the team's best rebounder.
As for Pratt, her impact can't be measured in a box score. But she's a vital piece to the puzzle.
"(Pratt) logs a lot of minutes," Baerwolf said. "She doesn't always have the stats as far as scoring, but she's our main inbounder and that's very important for us. She's usually in the right spot grabbing rebounds and helps us out a lot."
"I know I can count on my teammates to score if I'm having a bad day," Pratt said. "I stay composed, limit turnovers and get the ball to our high scorers so they can do their job, too."
Pratt, Drob and Sutton have also kept the Tigers' morale high, especially through the Sniesak injury and a three-game losing streak to end January.
"That's a tribute to our seniors," Baerwolf said. "And it started right after last season and (continued) in the summer. We talked about team chemistry and I believe that this team really does like being around each other."
"The farther we get into the season, the more our team chemistry keeps growing," Pratt said. "We're spending more time with each other. We've always had good chemistry, so I think it keeps getting better."
It's an ideal point of the season for that to happen, as district tournaments open across the state Monday. Armada will host a district that includes Algonac, Marine City, Marysville, Richmond and St. Clair.
"We just need to continue to get better and work on some things," Baerwolf said. "You want to be playing your best basketball (right now), but sometimes you're just trying to survive and move on to the next one."
The Tigers have a first-round bye in the tournament. They'll face either Richmond or St. Clair on Wednesday.
"It's really cool that, for my senior year, we get to host districts," Pratt said. "I think we definitely have a chance at winning the district. (I'm looking forward to) fighting for that."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Despite key injury, Armada girls hoops kept afloat by its senior core
