“Whatever It Takes” Strong Start for Class B Dukes

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The #9 ranked York Dukes are off to a strong start in Class B so far this season and that is attributed to the team walking off the court last fall at Platteview after falling short of a district title and a trip to state already hungry for the season to start. They lost only one senior to graduation this year and many of the girls on the floor have been starting for two or three years. Coach Chris Ericson commented that, “they know how to compete and now have the confidence to win. Right n</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ow their strengths are their determination and have a much more focused mindset.” Add that to their experience and it allows the Dukes to play with more confidence. Ericson said, “he would like to balance their attack a bit more and let the girls get creative with their scheme, but that will come.” </span></p> [caption id="attachment_108573" align="alignright" width="139"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-108573" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/09/IMG-5473-139x300.png" alt="" width="139" height="300" /> Photo: Submitted by player[/caption] <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The Dukes are led by uncommitted OH 6’0” junior [player_tooltip player_id="58791" first="Masa" last="Scheierman"] who already has 89 kills with a .318 hitting percentage in the young season. She was so incredibly dominating in the 5 set thriller home win and took over the 4th and 5th sets. She has a great cut shot that is really hard to defend. She did a great job of putting the team on her back and showed she was a force to be reckoned with. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Coach Ericson mentioned that this group really wants to play for each other. While they compete for positions and court time, they want to see each other succeed for the success of the team. When I visited with Masa she started off saying that she was just super thankful to be able to play this year due to the uncertainty of the season with the Covid-19 Pandemic. “I am excited to see what this season holds for our team! Our team chemistry on and off the court is something special. We are off to a great start, and we are just taking it one game at a time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">6’0” Senior MH Maddie Portwine added that their theme this year is “Whatever It Takes” and they are really focusing on doing just that to get better everyday, whether in practice or in games, and eventually whatever it takes to win the crucial games to get to the state tournament. Portwine, a Fort Hays State Basketball commit, has chipped in 16 kills and 14 blocks on the season. 5'10 " MH Senior [player_tooltip player_id="82640" first="Addison" last="Legg"] is second in kills on the team with 32 kills, 9 blocks and 5 ace serves. It will be fun to see how the Dukes’ chemistry and focus play out the rest of the season! </span></p>