Submitted photo – The Fortuna JVs capped an impressive season with a Big 5 championship in girls basketball this winter.

By Ray Hamill — Defense and team depth helped the Fortuna JV girls basketball team achieve success this winter.

The young Huskies were recently crowned Big 5 champs and closed out the season with an impressive 23-2 record, all of which points to a bright future for the program.

And they did it with some outstanding team defense, as the players rose to the challenge set by the coaches at the start of the campaign.

“Our defense carried us,” head coach Janet Harwood said. “They locked down on defense. We stress that a lot. Don’t get beat by your man.”

The young Fortuna girls responded to that challenge and lost just two games all season, including going 7-1 in conference.

The team depth also played a role in that success, with five solid starters and several players contributing off the bench.

Most notably, starting guards Macee Marquez and Piper Murray helped set the tone for their teammates.

Marquez helped direct the offense at point guard, while the versatile Murray played the two and three positions.

A pair of freshmen — Olivia Scilacci and Evalynn Little — each also started and made their presence felt in the paint, while Jaydyn Dalton rounded out the starting lineup and saw time at both guard positions.

“My top five were pretty solid,” Harwood added.

The players’ collective attitude also played a role in the team’s success and Harwood and her assistant coaches were impressed with the approach the Huskies brought to practice every day.

“They were super dedicated,” the longtime head coach said. “And I knew when they came to practice they were going to work hard. It was probably one of the hardest working groups I’ve ever had.”

Several other players also made big contributions, including Taylor Heussler and Madilyn Roberts, who were often the first two off the bench.

Kiera Miles also played a pivotal role in the team’s success while filling in for the stating bigs, while Jasmine O’Loughlin and Olivia Hayes rounded out a 10-player roster and each also saw substantial time on the court.

The Huskies varsity roster struggled in a competitive Big 5 this year, but the success of the JVs, coupled with the fact the program will only graduate four seniors, suggests the Fortuna varsity should be a lot more competitive next winter.

And varsity head coach Tom Chapman praised the JV coaching staff — which also includes Tony Miles and Kenny Parker — for the work they are doing with the younger players.

“Janet, Kenny and Tony are great coaches,” he said. “We are fortunate to have them in our program. They did a remarkable job with the team, not only competing on the court but also helping develop these young student-athletes to be good teammates, students and citizens.”

Harwood also paid tribute to her staff.

“We were all on the same page, which made it super easy,” she said.