By David Paulsen
Correspondent
In a battle between the No. 7- and No. 8-ranked teams in Division 2, the Whitewater High School girls basketball team emerged with a hard-fought 56-54 win Saturday at Stoughton.
Both teams came into the non-conference tilt undefeated, with Whitewater ranked No. 7, and Stoughton No. 8.
With Whitewater leading 54-51 late in the game, Stoughton tied the score at 54-54 on a three with 11 seconds to play. That left it up to the Whippet girls to score on their last possession.
“Stoughton was keying in on Brooke Trewyn to take the last shot, however, Trewyn zipped the game-winning assist to (Kailey) Reynolds who had exploded up the sidelines uncontested,” head coach Judy Harms said.
Reynolds hit the lay-up, and the Whippets had the victory.
Reynolds finished with a game-high 17 points, while Trewyn adding 15, and Sarah Schumacher 12.
“Kailey Reynolds had a very explosive game, and delivered some key baskets, while Brooke Trewyn had a steady all-around game,” Harms said. “Sarah Schumacher was a force inside, grabbing some key rebounds and making crucial put-backs.”
Stoughton led 17-14 after one quarter, but a second-quarter surge that had the Whippets outscoring Stoughton 20-9, gave Whitewater a 34-26 halftime lead.
On the basis of a 9-0 run in the third quarter, Stoughton tied the score, but Trewyn gave the Whippets the lead again on back-to-back baskets.
Whitewater built the lead back up to seven after three quarters, 46-39.
Stoughton chipped away at the lead until tying it with 11 seconds to go.
“I was proud of the way our team responded each time Stoughton made a run,” Harms said. “We showed a resiliency throughout the game, and this type of game and atmosphere should prove very beneficial to us with some key Rock Valley games on the horizon.”
The win improved Whitewater’s overall season record to 9-0.
Schedule
On Tuesday, Jan. 8, Whitewater will travel to East Troy for a huge 7:15 p.m. RVC game with the Trojans, who are ranked No. 2 in the state in Division 3, according to the wissports.net coaches poll.
