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Dominant duo powers Mustangs

By DEREK LaRIVIERE
Published December 15, 2006

TRINITY - Coming into this season, not many people gave Mitchell the respect it rightfully deserved.

That lack of respect motivates the Mustangs to play every game like it is a must-win. The starting backcourt of Joanna Bussa and Kristi Hopper almost always drives the effort.

Bussa, the point guard, leads a fast-break style offense that benefits all of her teammates with easy scores under the basket and many trips to the free-throw line. She also is Mitchell's second-leading scorer next to her partner in crime, Hopper.

"(Bussa) handles defensive pressure as well as any point guard I've seen," Mitchell coach Stephanie Koslin said.

At shooting guard, Hopper has a lot of range and a quick trigger that makes her the focus of almost every defensive game plan the Mustangs face. She scored her 1,000th point at the beginning of this season, a major milestone for any high school basketball player.

"If one of us is having a bad game, the other one is almost always there to pick up the slack," Bussa said. "It's good to have someone like that with you on a team."

Hopper is one of the area's leading scoring threats as well as Mitchell's all-time scoring leader.

Often overlooked are Bussa and Hopper's defensive strengths. One of the keys to the success for the Mustangs this season is Koslin's defensive philosophy. The game plan almost always includes constant pressure on the opposing guards.

"Joanna and Kristi do a great job of being aggressive on the ball," Koslin said. "That is always important if you are going to control the tempo of the game."

There are some downfalls of that, including receiving a lot of fouls, but Bussa and Hopper are smart around the ball and force a lot of turnovers and steals. Against Land O'Lakes earlier this season, in a matchup of then-undefeated teams, the partners combined for eight steals.

Off the court, the two know each other just as well. Their chemistry comes from years of playing together in AAU ball in the offseason and school.

"It's about trust between us," Hopper said. "It's not just knowing where the other person is going to be, but having the dependability of making the shots."

As the postseason draws closer, goals are slowly shifting from a winning season to preparing for a district title run and going deep into the playoffs.

With Bussa and Hopper at the helm, both of those goals are attainable.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 21:33:45]