Lady Panthers’ Second Half Shuts Down Wausau West
By Ken McKenzie
The SPASH girls basketball team used balanced scoring throughout Tuesday’s game with Wausau West with a resulting impressive and satisfying win that takes them to a 2-1 record in the Wisconsin Valley Conference and 5-7 overall season to date.
The balance extended to putting three girls in double figures, having seven different girls in the scoring column and hitting double figures in each of the four quarters on this early January cold night. SPASH took a 17-11 first quarter lead, added 15 more in the second, took control with a 19 point outburst in the third and finished strong with an even ten in the fourth before letting the air out of the ball.
Keying the win was the second half SPASH team defense intent on denying Wausau West’s Jasmine Samz the number of looks she had in the first half and holding the visitors to scoring only five in the third and six in the fourth to complete the win.
“Jasmine Samz is basically unstoppable once she has the ball but we did a much improved job the second half of denying her the ball to keep her from scoring,” said SPASH winning coach Derek Kirklewski. “Our girls took turns defending her and then helped out once she got the ball.”
Of his own team’s scoring effort, Kirklewski said, “We’ve got lot of girls that can score with the ball with maybe six or seven different ones that have scored in double figures for us in games so far this year. Getting us to play this way consistently; that’s the challenge.”
SPASH opened up the game with Sara Warner getting four shots to drop in the opening quarter, with a variety of looks with Rachel Sullivan scoring twice, once off a nifty deep pass from teammate and classmate Maggie Negaard. Meanwhile Taylor Beadles came off the bench to score seven, including a long three-pointer from right in front of the West bench to push the SPASH lead to 17-11. Jasmine Samz had nine of the West 11 points.
The second quarter saw SPASH build their lead, extending to ten at 25-15, and 28-18. But Jasmine Samz was almost single-handedly carrying West as she hit twin threes and was five for five from the foul line and had 20 points at the half. Samz’ scoring flurry narrowed the margin and when Adrianna Truax found the bottom of the net on a rebound shot as time expired, the Lady Panthers found their lead had evaporated into a 32-32 tie at the break.
Sarah Warner again got things going, scoring on a steal and lay up with Syndey Neale scoring when Abby Bohanski penetrated off the dribble and then dished for the score. Neale followed her own shot with a second chance hoop and Maggie Negaard banked a shot off a pretty drive as they moved ahead, 40-34.
Scores by Bohanski and Negaard pushed the lead back to ten and Taylor Beadle added a quick five points including draining a trey from right in front of the SPASH bench. Samz answered with a three of her own from top of the key to cut it to 12 but that was the last hurrah as Warner scored off a drive to end the third and Beadles scored off a Warner pass to open the fourth and solidified their lead.
The home crowd was treated to that rarity, the four-point play, when Maggie Negaard hit a three point shot while being fouled and hit on the free throw to stretch the lead to 57-39. Neale scored off another nice assist from Negaard and Warner finished the night with a drive down the lane for a scoop lay in to end it.
Wausau West’s sharpshooter Jasmin Samz was the game’s top scorer with 28 points while SPASH put three into double figures: senior Sarah Warner’s 18, freshman Maggie Negaard’s 13 and junior Taylor Beadles’ 12.