By Ryan O’connor
GOFFSTOWN – Losing a standout player to injury prior to the season is never
easy.
Just ask Goffstown girls basketball coach Dave Michaud.
When senior captain Kira Murphy went down with a torn medial collateral ligament
during a preseason scrimmage against John Stark, he said he knew his team was
in for an uphill battle.
“It’s been devastating for us, trying to fill her role,” he
said. “She was going to play off the ball this year, and she would have
been our main scorer. So offensively, that’s been a tough fill for us.
We miss her – a lot.”
Though no one person has stepped up to replace Michaud’s fallen star, he
said there has been a concerted team effort in the contribution department.
On Sunday, Jan. 13, Michaud said his squad exhibited one of its best all-around
performances of the season, handling visiting West, 60-34.
Sophomore Andrea Foley led the Lady Grizzlies in scoring with 15 points, followed
by junior Kristen Selig, who netted 13.
Center Amanda Thomas was the only other player to reach double digits, as she
contributed 10 points, while sophomore Abigail Riedel added eight.
For a squad lacking consistency, Michaud said he was pleased Goffstown actually
played to its level – not down to its opponent’s performance – in
beating an inferior team by 26 points.
“We’ve been lacking intensity, and today we came out with a solid
effort from everybody, which was good to see,” he said. “At times
it was sloppy, but I don’t think we let up our intensity, which we really
needed today.”
For now, the coach is trying to remain positive and keep his players positive
about this year and the future.
“Some people who wouldn’t have seen many minutes are seeing minutes,
which overall, is probably good for next year, but I’d still rather have
Kira this year,” he said. “Obviously we want to make the tournament
for the seniors and for the experience for the upperclassmen. We’re young,
and there’s so much promise for the future, that’s for sure.”
The Lady Grizzlies attempt to reach .500 on the season when they host Winnacunnet
on Friday, Jan. 18, before traveling to Manchester Central on Tuesday, Jan. 22.