Despite the fact that his team won first two games of the season by comfortable margins, Otsego girls’ basketball coach Tony Koshar had some concerns.
“I didn’t think we started particularly well in either of those games,” Koshar said. “We just seemed to come out a little flat and it took us a while to get going.”
It should come as no surprise, then, that a primary emphasis for Koshar has been on rectifying that situation.
And for at least one game, the Bulldogs did just that.
Hosting South Haven in a Wolverine Conference North showdown, Otsego took control from the start and jumped out to a 17-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter. The Bulldogs didn’t slow down from there, cruising to the 56-17 win to improve it record to 3-0.
“I thought we did a much better job of coming out here tonight and setting the tone right from the start,” Koshar said. “I liked our intensity and our focus.”
As well as the Bulldogs played in the opening quarter, they only got better from there. That was especially true on the defensive end of the floor.
After giving up the six points in the first quarter, Otsego limited South Haven to four points in the second quarter, three points in the third quarter and four points in the fourth quarter.
“We got after it defensively and made (South Haven) work,” Koshar said. “We want to make it as tough as possible for other teams to get a good look at the basket, and I thought we did a good job of that. We were very active.”
Mattison Rayman led the charge on the defensive end. Not only did she lead the team with three steals, but she also swatted away three South Haven shots.
Rayman also spearheaded the offensive attack with a game-high 15 points to go with a team-topping six rebounds.
“Matti is one of our leaders out there,” Koshar said. “This is her fourth year at the varsity level, so she knows what to expect. She is someone her teammates look to.”
Koshar expects even better things from Rayman as the season progresses.
“To be honest, she’s not shooting the ball the way she’s capable yet,” he said. “When she does, she’s going to be that much more dangerous.”
Olivia Stam was next in scoring with nine points. Regan Berg and Ambreanna Powell each added seven points, with Berg also collecting five rebounds and Powell also doling out five assists.
Skylar Anderson chipped in with six points on a couple of 3-pointers.
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