By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
The Whitewater Whippets’ girls basketball team kept things rolling in its lone game over the holiday break, defeating Wilmot Union, 62-52, on Dec. 30. The game was controlled by the Whippets in the first half, as Whitewater held a 35-26 lead going into intermission.
In the second half, the Whippets continued to cruise, and eventually won by double digits. Three girls each scored 15 points (Myriama Smith-Traore, Rebekah Schumacher and Allison Heckert), while Ali Ketterhagen added 11.
The Whippets only attempted three 3-pointers compared to Wilmot Union’s 15, but the defending state champions’ defense from behind the arc kept the opponent at a safe distance. Smith-Traore added 13 rebounds, six blocked shots and three steals in the win, pushing the Whippets’ record to 9-1 on the season.
Both teams had a high volume of steals and turnovers, as Whitewater committed 25 to Wilmot Union’s 24, and Wilmot Union recorded 17 steals compared to the Whippets’ 16. Schumacher led with eight steals in the game, and the Whippets out-rebounded Wilmot Union, 42-31.
Whitewater’s next game, against Brodhead, the state’s fifth-ranked team, was set for a 7:15 p.m. start Jan. 7 at Brodhead High School.
“Wilmot was a great non-conference opponent for us,” Whippets head coach Judy Harms said. “They did an awesome job challenging our girls, and in the long-run hopefully helped us to gain improvements in several areas of our game. Our balanced scoring (…) continues to be a strength for us.”
Brodhead will enter Thursday’s contest with a 10-1 record and started its season 9-0 before losing to Cuba City, 62-50. In the win before Cuba City, Brodhead defeated Saint Francis, 88-10. Kylie Moe leads all Brodhead players in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game.
