By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
Yukon’s middle school basketball teams open the season today, hosting Edmond Deer Creek at the YMS gym.
The seventh grade girls will play at 4:30 p.m., the seventh grade boys at 5:30 p.m., the eighth grade girls at 6:30 p.m. and the eighth grade boys at 7:30 p.m.
The opener is also the Metro Middle School Athletic Conference opener for both teams and will be an early season test for the Millers and Millerettes.
The eighth grade Millers of Les Baker have not had much time on the court with the complete team, but looks for his squad to be competitive early.
“With having only five days of practice I think we look really good,” Baker said. “The team as a whole is really athletic so we are going to be able to get out and run with anyone. The team is picking up on the drills quickly, which is a plus.
“We have not had a scrimmage, but most of them played together last year, so I expect them to play as a team,” he said.
Miller seventh grade coach Tim Campbell will see his team play their first ever game together as a team and expects his team to be competitive from the start.
“We are really excited to begin the season,” Campbell said. “We have some talented players with great potential. We can be great but we have to take it one day, one week at a time.
“We must continue to get better,” he said. “We need to improve on the small things, play team basketball and see what happens.”
New eighth grade Millerette coach Amber Martin is ready to see how her team will compete. She only has a squad of nine players, but has quickness and athletic ability that she looks to make her team competitive.
“We have had good practices and I know this team did have a great record last year, but we are looking forward to the challenge from Deer Creek,” Martin said. “They lost both games to Deer Creek (as seventh graders) last year and we are anxious to see how we play.
“We should have a good seventh grade team,” she added. “The seventh grade is deep. Our eighth grade team is talented, but we are not very deep. We will have only eight players in the first game, so we will need to stay out of foul trouble.
“We will have to play a really scrappy defense and slow things down on offense. But, that is the way I have always been, emphasize the defense. They are a smart group and have adjusted to things.
“You never know with the seventh grade as they start the season since they have not really played as a team. I look for them to be more aggressive. We are anxious to get things started.”
The team will also host Choctaw on Monday in a conference game with the seventh grade girls starting at 4:30 p.m.
