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6 minute read
Lady Bison lose district opener
BY STAN MADDUX
It was an early exit from the post season for the New Buffalo High School girls’ volleyball team hoping to advance deeper digs. Senior Ellie Cybulski contributed seven kills and three blocked shots. Hard striking sophomore in the District 4 tournament.
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The Lady Bison were defeated by Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School, which later defeated River Valley for the district championship.
New Buffalo (21-17-3) split the first two games with the Lakers but lost the next two games 2518 and 25-19.
Head Coach Bruce Molineaux said the match was decided by the Lakers making fewer mistakes especially in the final two games and the ability of Nora Proos to strike the ball hard and accurately at the net.
Proos, who’s just a sophomore, had 23 kills for the Lakers.
“She’s the real deal,” Molineaux said.
It took almost two hours to play the match because of the number of long rallies between the two evenly matched squads.
“We played good. They just played a little better than we did,” he said.
Previously, New Buffalo lost to the Lakers in a five game match in August but later in the regular season defeated them in a three game sweep.
Sophomore Jane Funk led the offensive attack for the Lady Bison with 18 kills while junior Ava Johnson dished out 25 assists.
Senior Amanda Jones led all New Buffalo defenders with 18 Benita Puskinigus added three kills and five aces. The loss was disappointing for a still young, much improved squad hoping to go deeper into the tournament. However, Molineaux pointed out there were four teams in the tournament with more than 20 regular season victories, including Michigan Lutheran, which hosted the tourney. He considered Michigan Lutheran the favorite to win the district title but the Titans were defeated by River Valley.
The outlook for the Lady Bison next season looks bright, with core players like Funk, Johnson and Puskinigus eligible to return.
Sophomores Josie Humphrey and Cassidy Saunders are among the other varsity players with potential to become major contributors.
Molineaux said about a half dozen members of the team are going to further hone their skills playing club volleyball during the off season.
He also likes what he sees in some of the junior varsity players expected to reach the varsity level next season.
“We should do better next year,” he said.
SPORTS
From the Bleachers
COLUMN BY KURT MARGGRAF IN CHICAGO
While he’s still a work in
progress, I believe Justin Fields is the answer to the question that Bears fans have been asking since Sid Luckman retired 72 years ago.
Yes, Justin Fields is turning into what everyone in Chicago hoped he would, a great quarterback. Justin throws accurate passes, has a strong arm, is big and tough, and boy can he run. Sunday, he ran all over and around the Miami Dolphins, gaining 168 yards on the ground to set a league record for quarterbacks.
He also passed for three touchdowns and was the best player on the field that had many great players, mostly on the Dolphins. The Bears lost the battle, but seem to be winning the war. Since Luckman retired in 1950, my research shows me that before Fields took over, 62 men have tried their hand at being the team’s quarterback. Some, like Jim McMahon, Jay Cutler, Billy Wade, and Eric Kramer, have been okay, but most have been mediocre to bad. ]Because the Bears have scored more points in their last three games than they did in their first six, I’m extremely excited about the Bears future. Next year they have a lot of money to spend and a lot of draft choices. Even more importantly, I think their coaching staff is outstanding and their general manager is top notch. But most importantly, the Bears have a quarterback that I think will lead them back to the championship game on his way to breaking all of Sid Luckman’s records.
Look out Packers.
NASCAR is a subject that I know very little about as car racing just doesn’t interest me very much. On the other hand, my nephew is a big fan. We got together last week and he asked if I had seen the race. Of course I hadn’t, and he suggested that I go to YouTube and check it out, which I did. I searched for Ross Chastain and found a video that said riding the wall. I had no idea what that meant so I played the video. I’m not really sure what I expected to see, but what I saw was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.
Apparently, Ross Chastain needed to pass five other drivers on the final lap to avoid playoff elimination. He tried doing the only thing he could think of to accomplish this feat. He put his car next to the wall and floored it. Like a slingshot or video game, Chastain went flying around the track and right before the finish line, he passed the car he needed to pass In order to move on in the playoffs.
He was going so fast that it looked like a cartoon. Truly an amazing finish.
Henry Ford said, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Keep smiling. Talk to you next week. Peace, love, and happiness.
Film group to discuss ‘Being There’ for November meeting
The Film Group, sponsored by the Friends of the New Buffalo Library, will screen and discuss “Being There,” a 1979 comedy starring Peter Sellers, at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at the library.
Group leader Eve Moran calls “Being There” “a brilliant comedy that considers a childlike man whose entire life consists of tending to a garden and watching television. When circumstances force him into the outside world, his simple thoughts are embraced as profound in high society and political circles.”
The film is based on a novel by Jerzy Kosinski and stars, in addition to Sellers, Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas. In his review, Roger Ebert gave “Being There” a four-star rating. A final sequence in the film is sure to spark a rich discussion among the audience, Moran said.
All are welcome at Film Group meetings, and there’s free popcorn for everyone. The New Buffalo Township Library is located at 33 N. Thompson Street in downtown
New Buffalo. — STAFF REPORTS
Library program on astronomy on tap for next week
Learn about the night sky in “Astronomy for All” at the New Buffalo Township Library at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Mike Latus, well-known for his astronomy sessions at Warren Dunes, will discuss what there is to observe, how to observe it and how you can learn more. Weather permitting, the program will end with views from the library parking lot through Latus’s telescope.
Latus was a math and science teacher at River Valley schools for many years. He also worked for Warren Dunes State Park as the summer naturalist. His talks on geology, botany, astronomy and more are legendary.
Latus’ presentation is part of the Friends of the New Buffalo Library’s Community Forum series. Forum programs are free and open to all. The New Buffalo Township Library is located at 33 N. Thompson Street in downtown New Buffalo. — STAFF
Orders being taken for annual Fudge-raiser
Fudge lovers can now preorder fudge for Jackie’s Café’s annual Fudge-raiser for River Valley Senior Center and Harbor Country Rotary Foundation.
Order a pound (or more) of the fudge, with the cost being $15 per pound. Those who preorder now can pick their fudge up by Tuesday, Nov. 15.
River Valley Senior Center and Harbor Country Rotary Club Foundation will receive 100% of proceeds from Jackie’s sale plus funds from The Larry Bubb Endowment and Nora Duffy.
Order and pick up at Jackie’s Café, which is located at 801 W. Buffalo Street in New Buffalo. The café can also be contacted at (269) 469-1800.
Payments must be made by cash or check only. Checks should be made payable to River Valley Senior Center or Harbor Country Rotary Foundation. Payment is due at the time of pick up at Jackie’s Cafe. — STAFF REPORTS