Wasatch Roundballers Look For Hot Start To New Year

Winter sports have that rare, calendar-based opportunity to split their seasons into two parts.  They begin at the end of one year, take a breather, then begin again at the start of a whole new year.  Built-in New Year’s resolutions, if you will.  Here in Wasatch, boys and girls basketball, use the final weeks of fall and early part of winter to play out their tough preseason schedules.  But after the Christmas break, all bets are off and the competition for Region 10 crowns basically begins.

On the hardwood, the boys come back after their r and r with a couple of contests in The Nest.  They open with Payson, not a region opponent, but a team the Wasps are familiar with, on Wednesday, January 2.  Then the real fun begins, as the black and gold welcome good buddies Park City on Friday, January 4.  They forge on in region play with a January 9 visit to Judge Memorial.

The boys, who have had a rough start to their 2012-2013 campaign, winning only a pair of their first 11 games, remain confident about their chances in region play.  This time last year, playing a nearly identical schedule, the Wasps went in to region play with only three victories.  They buzzed through the second half of their season, winning 11 and only losing two. 

Falling to tougher opponents in some pretty close games the past few weeks have put the Wasps right where they want to be.  Seasoned, in shape, and ready for a run at the region title.

The Lady Wasps are viewing things a little differently than the fellas.  The girls have been pretty hot so far winning seven out of 10 games.  They have a dominant player on their side, senior guard Rebecca MaWhinney, who is near the top in all individual statistical categories in 3A.  They have played well throughout the preseason, but know some of their toughest competition is just ahead.

Wasatch opens with three straight on the road.  First, on January 2, they head down the mountain to play Spanish Fork, a future region opponent once Wasatch makes its jump to 4A next fall.  Then they take on Park City, Friday, January 4.  And, like the boys, they play Judge Memorial next, traveling there on January 8.

The girls too, will be a formidable challenger for the Region 10 Championship, if they can muster the victories over Judge and Juan Diego, the two schools that caused them the most grief last season.