Lady Warriors Attack Lady Trojans In Francesville!
In a year when uncertainty is the only certainty, it was great to see the latest chapter written in one of the classic rivalries residing in the Kankakee Valley area, as the West Central Lady Trojans played host to the Winamac Lady Warriors on the first night of December.
Defense would be the name of the game for Winamac, as they forced nine turnovers in the first quarter, allowing them to jump out to a 19-4 lead at the end of the first eight minutes. Kole Kroft’s team came out with a level of intensity on defense that few programs can mimic during practice, trapping the ball at every turn with a stout zone defensive scheme. By the end of the first quarter, the Lady Warriors forced the Lady Trojans into committing nine turnovers on their home floor. As far as the scoring went, very few could have guessed that a fire would get started from behind the three-point line in the person of Kingsley Kroft, who would torch the net hitting four three-point shots in the first two quarters on her way to a seventeen point game. Winamac would move the ball with great fluidity throughout the night, allowing them to find open shots both near and far.
The second quarter would show little difference from the first, as the Lady Warriors continued to execute at a high level, both offensively and defensively. Playing with a very high tempo at both ends of the floor, Winamac’s all-around athleticism would be impressive as they continued to widen the gap between themselves and their cross-county rivals. On the defensive side of the court, Winamac would force five more turnovers in the second quarter, while outscoring West Central 15-2 on their way to a 34-6 lead at the half. In addition to the deadly outside shooting of Kroft, teammates Aubrey Gearhart and Maggie Smith would combine for 16 points, helping build what would ultimately end up being an insurmountable lead.
The Lady Trojans would get refocused and come out ready to go in the second half, getting more consistency in the scoring column, as they would outscore Winamac 14-12 in the final two quarters. The damage had already been done, however, as Winamac’s main focus in the second half would be taking care of the basketball, while preserving their lead, which is exactly what they did. Turnovers would be the biggest eye-popper at the end of the game, as Winamac committed just eleven turnovers compared to West Central’s twenty-five. As a team, the Lady Warriors would log sixteen steals as a group, with Aubrey Gearhart leading the charge in that category, as she tallied a game-high six steals in the win. One of the biggest bright spots in the game for both teams would come in the rebounding category, where Winamac narrowly out-rebounded West Central 29-26. Senior Maggie Smith of Winamac and Junior Crisney Shepperd of West Central would each lead the game in the rebounding category with 7 each.
When the final horn sounded, it was the defensive game plan of the Lady Warriors that would be the biggest difference, as they were focused from the start of not allowing West Central standout Tori Culp to beat them single handedly. Winamac would spend much, if not all of the game, denying the deadly scorer from getting the ball, often times having a defender follow her around every inch of the floor. The strategy would cause disruption for the Lady Trojans throughout the game, making it nearly impossible to get in any sort of rhythm, even when the defense began to solidify itself against a tough Winamac offense.
It was a game of growth for the two Pulaski County rivals, who were both incredibly excited just to get onto the floor and compete against someone in a different uniform. For the Lady Warriors, they saw the kind of team they could be throughout this season, as they were getting significant contributions from multiple players on both ends of the floor for 32 minutes. For the Lady Trojans, they were able to grown significantly as a team, especially in the second half, as they began to have others show signs of upping their game in the scoring column to help lessen the burden for their main scorer, Tori Culp. As the confidence level continues to rise for the Lady Trojans, lopsided losses will be a thing of the past sooner, rather than later. The bottom line is, there is nothing but upside in girls basketball for Pulaski County!
Earning the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI would be Winamac Senior Maggie Smith. Smith was second on her team in scoring, putting up 13 points, while leading the team in rebounds with 7, she also managed to pull away 3 steals, while knocking down 2 three-point shots in the win. Winamac will be back on the floor Thursday, December third, as they play host to Rensselaer, while West Central will get back to work on the third with another tall task, as they travel to Oregon-Davis.
Game Statistics
Scoring
Winamac(49): Aubrey Gearhart-8; Kingsley Kroft-17; Alyssa Villanueva-3; Maggie Smith(Sr)-13; Ella Gearhart-1; Rori Blackmon-2; Kaya Campbell-4; Hailey Attinger-1
West Central(20): Tori Culp-3; Crisney Shepperd-2; Mara Sharpe-6; Olivia Mellon-6; Emily Pilarski-3
3-Point Shots Made
Winamac(7): Kingsley Kroft-5; Maggie Smith(Sr)-2
West Central(3): Olivia Mellon-2; Emily Pilarski-1
Free Throws
Winamac: 8-15 53%
West Central: 3-4 75%
Steals
Winamac(16): Aubrey Gearhart-6; Kingsley Kroft-3; Maggie Smith(Sr.)-3; Ella Gearhart-4; Maggie Smith(Fr.)-1
West Central(3): Mara Sharpe-1; Brooklyn Mellon-2
Rebounding
Winamac(29): Piper Link-4; Kingsley Kroft-3; Alyssa Villanueva-5; Maggie Smith(Sr)-7; Ella Gearhart-2; Rori Blackmon-2; Kaya Campbell-3; Chloe Rausch-1; Maggie Smith(Fr)-1; Hailey Attinger-1
West Central(26): Tori Culp-6; Crisney Shepperd-7; Mara Sharpe-3; Jenna Patton-6; Brooklyn Mellon-1; Emily Pilarski-3
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*