Honesdale girls honor local youth athletes at annual Missy Basketball Night
HONESDALE — Hundreds of fans packed the stands this week to celebrate one of the most enduringly popular events on the local high school sports calendar.
Honesdale's girls varsity basketball team rolled out the proverbial red carpet Tuesday for “Missy Basketball Night,” an annual extravaganza that celebrates a youth hoops league that's been in existence for six decades.
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The Missy connection
This year's edition of the Missy Basketball Association features 10 teams divided into two brackets.
The Junior Division consists of players in third and fourth grade, while the Senior Division features fifth and sixth graders. Games are played on Saturdays at the Stourbridge Primary Center gym.
All told, there are nearly 100 girls involved.
“They're the future of basketball here at Honesdale,” said Coach Ron Rowe, who also organizes the Missy season.
“We're running it as a developmental league, so we focus on fundamentals and having some fun. We hope that the girls will fall in love with the sport and end up playing at the varsity level someday.”
If Tuesday's attendance is any indication, many of the girls are already enamored. Approximately 60 turned out to cheer on the Lady Hornets, every one of them proudly wearing an official team t-shirt.
Missy players were invited down onto the court to be acknowledged during pre-game ceremonies. They formed a tunnel through which Honesdale's starters ran as they were introduced over the PA system.
One of those starters was Rachael Collins, the team's senior captain.
Collins is a four-sport star who excels in field hockey, cross country, basketball and track. She's a huge supporter of Missy and a proud graduate of the program.
“My basketball journey started in Missy when I was a third grader,” said Collins with a smile. “I really did fall in love with the game while playing Missy. It definitely warms my heart to see all these girls here tonight.”
Natasha Hessling couldn't agree more. Honesdale's varsity assistant coach also began her basketball career in Missy … a career which eventually included three District 2 championships and a record-setting college tenure at Marywood.
“This is a fantastic night,” Hessing said. “I remember how much I looked up to the varsity players when I was in Missy Basketball. They were my heroes.
“So, having all these girls here tonight is just awesome. It's great to see them down here on the court interacting with the team. I definitely think it's important to build a positive relationship between the older players and the younger girls.”
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On the hardwood
The highlight of the night was the game itself, which pitted longtime Lackawanna League foes Honesdale and Abington Heights.
This Division I-II cross over contest got off to a sluggish start as both teams struggled to establish anything resembling consistent offense.
The visiting Comets edged out to an 8-4 lead after one quarter, then increased that advantage to 20-15 at intermission.
Caroline Murray proved to be Abington's main weapon throughout the game. The sharpshooting senior guard rained down shots from all over the court, finishing up with 24 points including a pair of deep treys.
Honesdale countered with a more balanced attack.
The Lady Hornets were paced by 10 points from Ruby Martin, a freshman phenom who's now the second leading scorer on the varsity quad.
Unfortunately for the big hometown crowd, Abington had an answer for every Honesdale rally. Thanks in large part to Murray and junior guard Madison Zaleski (8 pts), the Comets held on for a 45-37 win.
“We played really good basketball at times,” Coach Rowe said. “And then at other times we just looked a little bit lost. We've really been hurt by injuries and inexperience. So, we tend to make a lot of youthful mistakes.”
Collins contributed seven points to the cause, while Natalie Goldstein netted six, Madison Van Blarcom added five and Karsyn Kromko tallied four.
With the loss Honesdale's overall record fell to 8-8. The Lady Hornets are 2-5 in Division II action.
On the horizon
Weather permitting, the varsity girls will be back on the hardwood Monday night on the road at archrival Wallenpaupack Area.
Opening tip for this key Division II encounter is set for 7 p.m. on the shores of The Big Lake.
Meanwhile, the 2022-23 Missy Basketball season will close out on Saturday, February 11 for the Junior Division.
The Seniors will play two more weeks with playoffs scheduled for Feb. 18 and championship game slated for Feb. 25.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Lackawanna League: Fans turn out for Honesdale Missy Basketball Night
