Wawasee Basketball: Warriors Find The ‘W’ Column
LAGRANGE — There was a big sigh of relief for the Wawasee girls basketball team Tuesday evening. After losing a tough battle in the season opener to Marian, the Warriors most recently dropped back-to-back games on last-second shots. The frustration of almost tasting that first win came to a head when the team traveled to take on Lakeland. The Warriors cruised to a 59-16 victory over the Lakers, proving early on that they were the superior team.
A slow start offensively left Wawasee up 5-0 through the first three minutes of the game. It was at that point that Karley Alleshouse recorded a free throw for Lakeland, making the score 5-1. That would prove to be the only point for the Lakers in the first half. Wawasee’s Hannah Haines responded with a three, her first of two on the night. The Warriors were up 8-1 at that point and led 12-1 after the first. Haines would lead Wawasee in scoring on the night with an 11-point effort.
The second quarter went even better for Wawasee as the lead grew to 28-1 by the half. The scoring was starting to spread out as five Warriors had already put two or more points on the board through the first two frames.
In the second half the lead grew to 33-1 before Lakeland earned its first field goal of the game, a layup at the 4:42 mark of the third quarter from Beka Stroop.
Wawasee remained strong through the second half at both ends of the court. There was strong play off the bench by every Warrior as every player scored. Casey Schroeder and Kayla White led the bench mob with six points each. White on a pair of threes, Schroeder with her work done in the paint. Schroeder also recorded three steals.
Aubrey Schmeltz added 10 points, the only other Warrior in double digits next to Haines. Schmeltz also pulled down five rebounds, tied for the team lead with Haines and Kabrea Rosotchak. Rounding out the scoring for the visitors were Aubrey Kuhn with six points, Hannah-Marie Lamle with six, Madison Beaman with five, Seaquinn Bright with four, Sara Pritchard with three and Rostochak with two.
“I was proud of their effort and their intensity,” said Wawasee head coach Matt Carpenter, who picked up his first career win. “One thing we struggled with the first few games is having a strong start with that type of intensity. We were down 9-0 to Marian, 6-0 to Westview. We’ve had to battle back and it’s a lot more energy, a lot more effort when you’re coming from behind.
“To come out and have that energy early was good. I thought we were relaxed and focused and that our intensity and game plan were seen from the get-go. That’s what I’m proud of. Whether Lakeland knocked down some shots early, we’d live with the consequences of that if we were playing how we’re capable of playing. When we do that, we can be a good team.”
Lakeland, which was coming off a huge 73-29 win over Jimtown, was led offensively by Stroop and Montana McClellan. Each player had five points.
Lakeland (1-3) will play at Prairie Heights Friday night while Wawasee (1-3) will play at Prairie Heights Saturday afternoon.
Wawasee’s JV moved to 4-0 following a 39-24 victory. Sara Pritchard, Morgan Adkins and Shelby Bolt all scored eight points for Wawasee. Kylee Palmer had eight for Lakeland’s JV.