The combination of Tori Tenney and Jazmyn Vautour will factor heavily into the success of the Mahar girls basketball team this season.
“Jazmyn and I have grown up playing together,” Tenney said.
Tenney and Vautour can do a lot of things well on the basketball court, but both face challenges in their senior seasons.
Tenney is a talented player, but can get down on herself after a negative play.
“I just get in my own head,” Tenney said. “Being a senior I need to focus more on leadership than myself. Being a team player and keeping my head up and going on to the next play.”
Vautour’s offense is effective but her attack can be one-dimensional, using her left hand mostly to drive and penetrate.
Finding some balance with her right hand to complement her outside shooting touch would benefit the Senators.
Mahar has never missed the playoffs under coach Larry Fisher, who is in his 14th season coaching for the Senators.
“We should be a very competitive team,” Fisher said. “Obviously making the playoffs and contending for the league title is an expectation.”
Fisher is also four victories away from 200 career wins at Mahar. Winning the Franklin North league title would mean going through Greenfield, which went 19-1 last season.
“The league title is going to be huge,” Fisher said. “But Greenfield is the team to beat with those kids coming back. They are going to be really good.”
Mahar will have Vautour, Tenney and Sophia Apteker in the front court.
Abby Bonk, Micalyn Mailloux and Delaney Parker play the guard positions. Mailloux worked on her game this summer.
“I’ve improved with my shot and my dribbling skill this summer,” Mailloux said. “I had a lot of help with my shot, getting my follow through down.”
Mailloux’s love for the game leads to more offseason work: playing summer ball and just shooting on her own.
“Basketball has been my thing,” Mailloux said. “I’ve played since third grade. I just wanted to be better for this season so I focused on basketball.”
Last season, the Senators were 13-8 and lost to Monument Mountain in the first round of the Western Massachusetts Division 3 playoffs.
Mahar is two years removed from a trip to the semifinals at the Curry Hicks Cage at UMass.
“We are pretty young,” Tenney said. “But we have a lot of depth on the bench. I think we are going to have freshmen all the way up to seniors getting a lot of playing time. It would be amazing to get back there (Cage) for my senior season.”
Mahar hosts a jamboree this Sunday at home with the gym opening at noon. Teams attending are Quabbin Regional, Amherst Regional and Gardner.
The Senators begin regular season play against Hampshire Regional at 6 p.m. at the Curry Hicks Cage in the Pioneer Valley Tip Off on Dec. 7.
