The story begins in our small Alaska town

Early in October, a group of Homer girls basketball future were selected from over 70 who tried out for an intramural team.

These players learned from their role-models current girls basketball varsity players who acted as their intramural coaches what it would take to have a successful season.

When these same girls tried out for the Homer Middle School team later that month, middle school Coach Tim Daugherty could see they had already learned a thing or two about basketball.

"In the times of extra curricular cuts and budget cuts, it goes to show that sports still play an integral part of the system," Daugherty said.

"It shows the girls that the program starts at fifth and six grade (and continues) all the way up to high school," Daugherty said.

His job was to take these eager girls to the next level.

After a successful intramural season, most of the players who made the middle school team were looking forward to a strong middle school season.

But basketball wasn't the only thing on these girls minds.

Most of them were hitting the books at school as hard as they were hitting the hardwood in practice.

Of the nearly 30 girls on the eventual championship roster, 27 had straight A's at school, and only four B's could be found on any of their report cards.

"This is a special group of individuals," Daugherty said.

But for one player in particular the fairy tale season nearly ended before it began.

Eighth-grader Anna Duzz jammed and hyper-extended her finger in the middle of the first game of the season, keeping her on the bench for the year.

"It was kind of disappointing," Duzz said. "I really wanted to play."

But Duzz said belonging to a team like the Huskies overshadowed her disappointment.

"The kids made me feel like I was still part of the team," she said. "I went to most of the games and cheered them on (from) the sidelines."

"Even after I broke my finger kids kept helping me with different post moves (in practice)," she said.

"Everyone was helping everyone else out."

Coach Daugherty said this year's team had a special attitude.

"They are good players and excellent people," he said.

Duzz said they were the best group of kids she has ever played with.

"It was amazing," Duzz said of the team's run.

"We weren't as good last year. Everyone improved so much over the summer."

Hard work in the off-season helped the team bond and improve their skills.

And a visit from Homer girls basketball past fine-tuned them.

Homer High graduate and current University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves Head Womens Basketball Coach Jody Hensen came to town and gave the Huskies a three-hour skills clinic.

Hensen was part of seven state titles for the Mariners from 1989 to 1991, including one volleyball, three cross-country and three basketball titles.

"She's so nice," Duzz said. "It was great to meet her, I had read so much about her in the papers."

Hensen's state title teams invigorated the town of Homer with their pressuring style of play. Besides winning seven state titles in her high school career, Hensen was also named Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year for basketball her senior year.

At the clinic Hensen worked on post drills and ball-handling with the team, but took the time to give them some dirt on her old coach.

"She had known Coach Daugherty way before I did," Duzz said.

"So she told us some funny stories about him."

Daugherty said the idea for the clinic began when one of the players sent Hensen an email asking her to come down to Homer.

"Three days later she came down," Daugherty said.

Hensen also brought another surprise for the Huskies tickets for the team to the Great Alaska Shootout.

Many of the players were on hand to witness Hensen in her UAA debut Shootout coach the Seawolves to an upset victory over Clemson 61-58 in the finals to take the title.

For some of the girls, witnessing such a high level of play first-hand was eye-opening.

"It was great to see them play in such an intense game," Duzz said.

For others, like team co-captain Reba Temple, it's just nice to see someone eye-to-eye.

At 6'2", Temple is certainly no Tiny Tim. In fact she is the tallest person at Homer Middle School, taller even than Daugherty.

At times that has caused her awkward moments, Daugherty said. But the trip to the Shootout gave her a new perspective.

"She walked around the gym (at the shootout) and realized 'I'm not a freak of nature'," Daugherty said. "It's good for them to see that they're not that different."

The team returned to Homer even more energized and confident than before, and rolled through their opponents. The girls 37-29 trouncing of the Soldotna Silver in the final borough tournament game was the closest margin of victory for them all season capping a memorable season and rekindling a legacy of girls basketball in small-town Alaska.

Just as Scrooge finally gave in to the joys of Christmas season, this special group of girls experienced the joys of a great basketball season, and came out better for it in the end.