By Adam Knoll
Sports Correspondent
The Lady Whippets are riding high following three recent wins, all of them important on one level or another as well as proof that the team in gelling quite well.
Last Tuesday night the Schumacher sisters combined for 34 points, including five 3-pointers en route to a 54-37 drubbing of conference foe Edgerton. It was Whitewater’s first road conference win of the young season.
“(We) showed tough scrappy defense in spurts,” head coach Judy Harms said, “(and there were) contributions from numerous players off the bench.”
Indeed, at times overlooked reserve players Keely Fiedler, Whitney Treder and Melanie Martinez combined to chip in 12 points and help Whitewater pull away from Edgerton fairly easily.
On parents’ night, the Lady Whippets needed a full team effort to finish off Parkview, who held very tough through the first half, going into the locker room down by only five. In the third quarter though, Whitewater flexed some muscle and outran Parkview, going 18-2 to start the second half.
“We had some really nice spurts, and then went flat at times. I think missing a few early baskets, including free throws, gave Parkview light in sticking with us the first half,” Harms said.
The Schumacher girls, Rebekah and Sarah, joined forces again, this time for 31 combined points. Younger sister Michaela chipped in a bucket as well.
Kailey Reynolds hit double figures with 11 points while the bench again found ways to score and ratchet up the defense.
In the third game of the recent trio, Whitewater edged out Lake Mills 58-50 in a tightly contested battle all night.
Rebekah and Sarah Schumacher continued their hot hands, combining for 39 points, while Kailey Reynolds notched seven, and Myriama Smith-Trajore added six – a welcome back celebration of sorts for Smith-Trajore after being out a few games with an injury.
Lake Mills held a tight lead after one quarter, 17-13, before the Whippets won the second quarter by two. Down one bucket going into the half, the two teams would play even until a late run pushed the Whippets over the top.
“We looked very sluggish tonight, and just didn’t seem to have our normal spark,” Harms after the game. “Lake Mills did an outstanding job breaking down our defense at times, and we just couldn’t shake them until the final stretch.”
It might not have been pretty but shake them the Lady Whippets did.
Now, at 6-0 on the season, the team will look to shake the sluggishness mentioned by Harms and improve on its perfect record against Big Foot this week.
