Suttons Bay girls basketball is heading into the 2023-24 season with improvement on their mind.
Despite a lopsided loss against St. Mary on Tuesday to begin the season, the Norse's only way to go is up.
Suttons Bay will be led by seniors Keeley TwoCrow, Abby Hursh, Lauren Lint, and Alondra Ramirez.
“Months beforehand I got excited. I was getting hype and everything,” TwoCrow said. “We are all here for the same reason to play basketball. No one’s here to mess around. Everyone here wants to play ball and I like it.”
Hursh says the team has a wide range of skills and everyone will have to find a role to have a successful season.
“I feel like supporting each other throughout the season will cause everybody to be patient and just have fun,” Hursh said.
The Norse will be coached by Mariah Kalchik, who is in her second season at the helm.
“It’s nice to have (girls) returning back and they know my expectations, and they can be leaders to the girls that are new this year,” Kalchik said. “It’s nice to get that familiarity.”
For the past several seasons, Suttons Bay has had a revolving door at the coaching position. As Kalchik gains familiarity, she notices her players carrying themselves with more confidence.
The Norse will have a junior varsity team for the first time in several years, which is a good sign for the future of the program. Aaron TwoCrow will be coaching the junior varsity team.
“It’s how you build a program and it’s never going to happen unless you try to do it,” Kalchik said. “I knew we might be tight on numbers, but I really wanted to make sure that we could do that this year.”
Suttons Bay plays Leland tonight, before facing TCBAA on Tuesday, December 12 at 7 p.m.
The Norse ended their season in the district semifinals last season.
