As the 2021-22 KLAA girls basketball season heads into the home stretch, Howell coach Tim Olszewski likes what he sees.
He expects that to be on display tonight as the Highlanders play host to Salem, a team that gave them fits in their first meeting of the season, a 42-36 win at Salem.
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post beginning at around 6:50 p.m. Click here for a link.
“We are a completely different team,”Olszewski said of Howell, which is 9-3 overall, 8-0 KLAA West. “We are crisper in our execution, we are a little more sound. l’m hoping we’ll be a little more of the team now than the team that we were.”
In the first meeting, the Highlanders committed 21 turnovers and trailed in the fourth quarter, the closest they’ve come to losing a league game this season.
“We’ve got to make su re we take care of business,” Olszewski said. “If we minimize turnovers and minimize their points in transition, I think we’ll be right there.”
Salem (5-5, 3-5) is an improved team that is considered by some to be a potential district champion this month despite being in fifth place in the KLAA West,
“They’re a very good team,” Olszewski said. “Their coaching staff is doing an extremely good job. They’re very disciplined and they’ve got some very good athletes.”
The Highlanders have been in first place since beating Hartland last month, but their coach doesn’t see them feeling any pressure.
“They look at it as a privilege,” Olszewski said, ‘”They work hard, but they know teams are gunning for them. That happens any time you’re on top. Every team’s going to give you their best game. It’s the way of the world, and the girls know they have to be focused, and I think they appreciate the opportunity to defend their record.”
The Highlanders might have a home-court advantage; their home floor is 94 feet, 10 feet longer than Salem’s. When Salem High School opened in 1970, 84 feet was the standard.
“Maybe that’s a little bit of an advantage for us,” Olszewski said.
