A pair of northerners were named high school athletes of the week by the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association (MHSAA) March 6.
Grade 12 student-athlete Tressa McDonald of Thompson was named the urban high school athlete of the week for her work with R.D. Parker Collegiate’s senior girls’ basketball team. McDonald scored 29 points in the final of the zone 11 championships in The Pas March 2 to help her team land a sport at provincials. For the season as a whole, she has averaged 12 points, seven rebounds and five steals per game.
“This squad relies heavily on Tressa’s leadership, and calmness on the hardwood floor. Tressa demonstrates resilience and a never-give-up attitude which is everything a coach could ask for,” said RDPC basketball coach coach Christine Sim. “When I first started working with Tressa, she was already an exceptional defender, moves her feet well and managed to get us lots of steals. She has worked hard to become more offensively inclined and it has paid off for her this season.”
McDonald will attend the University of Winnipeg next year and hopes to become a chiropractor.
The rural high school athlete of the week is Amanda Muswagon of the Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre Huskies in Norway House.
Currently in Grade 12, Muswagon averaged 21 points per game at the zone 11 senior basketball championships to help lead her team to a place in the finals.
“In the finals, she made big plays on both ends of the floor in a back-and-forth game that wasn’t decided until the final two minutes,” said Huskies’ coach Michael Knox. “She was dominant on offence, with opposing teams frequently double- and even triple-teaming her on defence. On these occasions, she was a willing passer and looked to set up her teammates. Amanda has been a pivotal part of the team all season. She will be missed.”
Muswagon is attending the University of Manitoba next year to study kinesiology.
