SPASH girls basketball reloads for 2019-20
Portage County Gazette
By John Kemmeter
After winning back-to-back Conference Titles, the Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) girls basketball team will look to contend in the Wisconsin Valley Conference (WVC) this season.
Led by the return of All-State 5-11 senior forward Leah Earnest, the Panthers have a number of underclassmen stepping into large roles this year, and used a 57-47 victory at home over De Pere Tuesday, Dec. 3, to improve to 2-1 this season.
“We’re very young,” said SPASH girls basketball head coach Kraig Terpstra. “We do have some experience, and a lot of players have extended roles.
“But that’s why you try to develop a program,” he said. “So that when you graduate players like Rachel Lummis and Madisyn Rogan, you’ve got players ready to step in.”
SPASH lost Unanimous First Team All-WVC point guard Rogan and a pair of Honorable Mention All-WVC selections in Lummis and Kaylee Hintz from a year ago, when the team advanced to the WIAA Division 1 Sectional Semifinals and finished 18-7 overall.
A NCAA Division 1 Valparaiso University commit, Earnest is back after she was the WVC Player of the Year and a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 1 All-State selection last season, when she became the Panthers’ all-time leading scorer and finished fifth in the state in scoring (26.6 points per game) and tied for seventh in the state in rebounding (13.0 per game).
“Leah’s one of the best players in the state, so obviously that’s a great place to start,” said Terpstra. “We rely on her to handle the ball, we rely on her to shoot it, and she’s our best defender and rebounder.”
Senior 5-7 forward Hailey Carlson also returns as a starter for SPASH, while 5-8 junior Kylie Klismith, 5-9 sophomore Zoe Fink and 5-9 freshman point guard Tahlia Moe have moved into the starting lineup.
“Hailey’s just a really smart player, kind of a glue player, and we’re asking her to do more scoring this year,” said Terpstra. “Kylie has really played well for us, showing some toughness.
“We’re asking more of Zoe, she can shoot it with anybody out there, and we need her to rebound and handle the ball,” he said. “And Tahlia has done a nice job, we’re relying on her to handle the ball, and that’s been very big, for her to be the player taking all of the defensive pressure.”
Junior 5-6 guard Faith Weddle, 5-7 sophomore Avery Lilly and 5-6 sophomore Shaye Solinsky have also earned playing time as reserves, with 5-8 sophomore point guard Emma Raikowski expected to return from an injury in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, 5-5 sophomore Kendra Czerneski, 5-8 freshman Emma Jossie, 5-11 sophomore Avita Cole and 5-11 freshman Lauren Strasman will also look to contribute.
“Faith, Avery and Shaye off the bench have been strong,” said Terpstra. “We’ve had good depth, and even players that didn’t play (Tuesday), I’ve been really pleased with our depth in practice.
“Our practices have been really strong, and that’s helped us,” he said.
SPASH opened the season with an 83-59 loss to Division 2 sixth-ranked DeForest at home Nov. 23, but bounced back with a 60-50 win over Milwaukee Pius at the Brookfield Central Thanksgiving Shootout Saturday, Nov. 30.
That led into the Panthers’ game at home against De Pere Tuesday night, where they trailed 23-20 at halftime, and were down 29-25 with 12:08 left in the second half.
SPASH answered with a 9-0 run to take a 34-29 lead with 8:59 to play, and held on to a 41-39 advantage with 5:16 remaining.
Fink followed with back-to-back three-pointers and a pair of free throws to power an 8-2 run that gave the Panthers a 49-41 lead with 3:31 to go, and SPASH extended the run to 14-5 to build a 55-44 advantage with 1:29 remaining on the way to a 57-47 victory.
Earnest finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists; Fink knocked down a trio of three-pointers and scored 15 points, Moe had 12 points, and Carlson added eight points in the win.
“We had a really slow first half offensively, and our defense kept us in it,” said Terpstra. “We’ve got a lineup that kind of sparks us defensively off the bench, and I thought that was a big help.
“In the second half, we moved the ball better,” he said. “Carlson, Moe and Fink all hit big shots when the game was up for grabs, to allow us to take control.”
SPASH will be home again for its conference opener against Marshfield at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, after the Panthers went 11-1 last season to win the WVC Title over Wausau West (10-2), Marshfield (7-5), D.C. Everest (6-6), Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln (5-7), Merrill (3-9) and Wausau East (0-12).
“I think it could be anybody,” said Terpstra of this season’s conference race. “Wausau West lost a lot of players, but they’re well coached and have some skilled players coming back.
“Marshfield should be a tough task, Merrill is strong, and Rapids could have their best team in years,” he said. “Last year it was maybe two teams playing for first place, but (this year) I think it could be four or five.”
SPASH is scheduled to host Chippewa Falls in a nonconference game at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and then will travel to play Wisconsin Rapids at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, before the Panthers take on a pair of ranked teams at the Sentry Classic in Division 4 top-ranked La Crosse Aquinas Dec. 26 and Division 4 fifth-ranked Mishicot Dec. 27.
“Our goal is just to improve each time out, and be in the running in February,” said Terpstra. “Be in the running to win a Conference Championship, be in the running to be one of the top teams in the Sectional, and fight for a Regional and a Sectional Championship.
“We want to worry about the next game, becoming better, and finding ways to improve,” he said. “And put ourselves in a position to be a Championship team.”