By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
There’s a new No. 1-ranked team in the state for Division 3 girls basketball and that team resides in Whitewater.
The Whippets moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in the latest Wissports.com Coaches Poll. The team had two games this past week to prove itself.
On Jan. 5, the Whippets hosted Brodhead and thanks to its highest scoring output of the season, pushed its overall record to 9-1. Whitewater defeated Brodhead in front of its home crowd, 74-46.
A 43-point first half proved to be the difference for the Whippets, as going into halftime, the top-ranked team in the state led, 43-20. Senior forward Myriama Smith-Traore, who is committed to playing for Marquette next season, recorded a video game-esque 14-point, 15-rebound, 13-blocked shot, nine-assist, six-steal game.
Aside from Smith-Traore’s near quadruple-double, Whippet head coach Judy Harms talked about the other girls and the game as a whole.
“Rebekah Schumacher reached the 1,000 [point] mark, joining an elite list of Whitewater High School players,” Harms said. “Allison Heckert played an exceptional game, sharing the game-high of 15 points with Schumacher. Ali Ketterhagen, the fourth player to reach double digits, adds to quite a roster of players for the Whippets.
“The girls were hungry for competition tonight and I believe it showed most through their defensive performance. The team is clicking and we just need to continue building on our dynamic ability to play as a group.”
Compared to the four Whippets who topped the 14-point mark, just one Brodhead player reached double digits, with 10. On Jan. 10, five days after the 28-point victory, Whitewater hit the road to face Clinton.
The last time prior the Whippets played on the road was Dec. 13, but the environment away from home made no difference. Whitewater would go on to beat Clinton, 72-48. Harms’ group held a 20-point lead going into halftime.
Schumacher continued her scoring ways in this game, leading all players with 25. Smith-Traore would match Schumacher’s 25, but it was in the rebounding department. The senior forward added 17 points with six blocks.
Harms said Schumacher had one of the better games of her career, as she made all three of her three-pointers while going 4-of-4 from the free throw line. She also mentioned Ketterhagen as playing an all-around solid game, as Ketterhagen totaled 11 points.
The 24-point victory gives Whitewater a 10-game winning streak with its overall record sitting at 10-1. Harms’ group is now halfway through the season with 11 games remaining.
The team played against East Troy on the road Friday night (results will be included in next week’s Whitewater Register.) Whitewater will be at home again for another 7:15 p.m. game on Jan. 19 against Palmyra-Eagle.
