MALTA — There's been a lot of Northern B success in the past handful of years for the Malta girls basketball team, winning the divisional tournament each of the past six seasons.
In this new season, the M-Ettes are 4-1, with all four wins being lopsided against fellow Class B opponents. The team also now has six seniors and returns all but one player from last year's fourth-place finish.
Denvyr Tuss and Neva Jacobson are two of those seniors, and both said they like the chemistry of their group.
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"We're all connected together already so early," Tuss said at Shelby High School following a win over Fairfield in the Coyote Tip-Off Classic. "It's just going to probably get stronger and stronger as the season goes."
"It helps a lot," Jacobson said. "We just know each other so well and know where we are on the court, so it really benefits us a lot."
Of course, this group has played in the state tournament each year they've been in the program. Tuss and Jacobson said the team knows what it takes to make it back yet again, while maybe even going further than past years.
"We think about it every day, we all know about it," Tuss said. "We came into the season knowing about it, and it's our main goal this year."
"We're kind of ... like underdogs, we have been all four years," Jacobson said. "Still have a lot to work on, but hopefully we keep improving and show everyone what we have."
Although, the senior duo mentioned how the team has gotten off to some slower starts in games, but they're confident that will improve as the season progresses.
"We can handle pressure," Tuss said. "It's really good to have these games so that by the end of the season we know how to come out and execute at the beginning. But hey, we're growing and we're just going to get better and better as the season goes on, I feel like.
"We normally bounce back right away once we figure out what we're doing."
Additionally, Tuss recently signed with Carroll College to continue playing after high school with the Fighting Saints.
"It's such a great school and I just love the program in general," Tuss said. "The basketball and track programs ... I think it's going to be a perfect fit for me."
Malta plays one more game Friday night at home against Plentywood before Christmas break.
