Girls notch 21st win in march to postseason
By Adam Knoll
Correspondent
To say the Whitewater High School girls basketball team has been on a roll, would be an understatement.
Entering the week needing only four wins to secure a perfect season, the No. 1 ranking in the state (Division 3), the Whippets eviscerated their competition, leaving them just one win away.
The Whippets traveled to Evansville Feb. 10 to play their final road game of the season. Things went well.
Myriama Smith-Traore scored 23 and Sarah Schumacher added in 18 points as the Whippets ran away with it 69-39. As a team, Whitewater hit 17 of 25 free throw attempts. Whitewater only hit two 3-pointers on the night, though the Whippets do not rely much on the outside shot to win games.
Rebekah Schumacher scored 12 points.
Second-half surge
The Whippets faced McFarland on Feb. 13 and had a battle on their hands until pulling way in the second half. After holding a three-point lead at the half, the Whippets exploded out of the gate in the third quarter, outscoring McFarland by 12 points and putting the game away, 62-45.
Smith-Traore scored a hefty 30 points in the victory. The sophomore is asserting herself much more as of late.
The sister duo of Rebekah and Sarah Schumacher added 19 points.
“Overall, we didn’t have a very good shooting night as a team so it was exciting to see Myriama come through for the Whippets when we needed it most,” said coach Judy Harms. “I loved our energy on the court, and it’s great to pull out a win despite not hitting our typical shots. The girls continue to stick strong as a team, and I look for us to really clicking in post tournament play.”
The Whippets were un-characteristic 3-13 from the free throw line.
Team rolls past Delavan
Continuing their late-season surge seemed to be of some importance to the Whippets Monday as they crushed Delevan-Darien 66-26 in front of the home crowd, earning their 21st victory of the season in the process.
In a bit of a different style of attack, Whitewater’s bench played a big role, as all but two players scored at least a point in this game. Sarah Schumacher led the team with 13 points, Kailey Reynolds and Keely Fiedler both had 10.
The Whippets were 12-25 from the free throw line, and hit 6 3-pointers during the game.
Starting off the game on a 20-5 run, Whitewater went on to hold a 35-10 lead at the half. Whitewater outscored Delavan by 15 points in the second half.
“It was nice to see some of our bench players contribute, which will pick up our overall confidence, with one game remaining,” Harms said after the victory.
The Whippets will close out the regular season against East Troy on Thursday.
Postseason regional play begins Tuesday night.
