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Coming off an outstanding regular season, the Whitko girls basketball team set its sights on the playoffs Tuesday night to begin the quest for a second straight sectional title. The Lady ‘Cats first test was a tough one, going up against host school Woodlan. The visitors started off strong, and after fighting off a third-quarter run by the Lady Warriors, advanced to the semifinals with a 56-37 win.
Whitko couldn’t have gotten a better start to the game if it tried. Back-to-back threes by the Stonebraker sisters Reese and Jayma gave the team an early 6-0 lead before a layup off a steal from Kyra Lowe made it an 8-0 game less than 90 seconds into the contest.
We started off the game by hitting a couple of big shots and that kind of got us rolling,” Whitko head coach Justin Jordan said.
Following the burst to start the game, the Lady ‘Cat offense regressed over the next few minutes. The Lady Warriors outscored the visitors 4-2 over the next three minutes as all of a sudden, the Whitko offense was struggling. The early lead the team had built was coming in handy already, giving the visitors a cushion while they got back on track.
Defensively, the Three Rivers Conference champions had not missed a beat from the opening tip. Playing with its typical high energy, the unit made life incredibly difficult on the hosts by trapping at midcourt, jumping into passing lanes and creating a general chaos. Eventually, that defense would lead directly to some offense, and after a few steals and scores, Whitko had built a 12-point lead.
After eight minutes of action, the Lady ‘Cats were in great shape. They had built a 14-point lead and had absolutely stumped their opponents. Woodlan had only managed four points in the first quarter as the visitors were smothering them at every opportunity.
Needing a spark and needing quickly, the Lady Warriors began the second quarter by playing much better. The hosts were giving Whitko a taste of its own medicine, locking down on the defensive end and using the transition game to generate some easy offense. Over the first two minutes of the second, Woodlan went on a 7-0 run.
Midway through the period, a contested layup by Ally Brown were still the only points scored by the visitors during the quarter. They still led by seven, but with each empty possession, momentum began to creep closer and closer towards the side of the home team.
Jayma reached double figures late in the second as in the final two minutes, the Lady ‘Cats began to get back to what made them so successful in the first. Whitko was able to climb back up by as many as 13, settling for an eleven-point lead at the break. After an up and down first half, the visitors were still in control.
Whitko junior Jocelyn Luecke looks to score under the basket during the first quarter of Tuesday night's sectional against Woodlan...Nieter
That changed early in the second half. A pair of threes for the home side made it a five-point game just 90 seconds into the third quarter, the closest it had been since early in the first. The 1-3-1 zone that Woodlan was running was still giving the Lady ‘Cats the fits, as it wasn’t until three minutes into the period that Reese’s third triple of the night put her team on the board.
“They extended that zone and made things difficult for us. We didn’t help ourselves out either, made a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers,” Jordan said. “We worked on it all week but it's a little different once the crowd gets involved.”
Playing in her first ever sectional game, freshman Ady Luecke came up big with her first points of the night: a three that ended another burst by the Lady Warriors that saw the home side get within four. A steal and transition basket by Hazel Leffers a possession later gave the visitors a bit of separation once more, but Woodlan was playing better by the minute and was hot on their heels.
A quick 4-0 run by Jayma allowed Whitko to go back up by double digits in the final two minutes of the quarter. The Lady ‘Cats had found a way to penetrate the zone and were taking advantage in the paint. On the other side, the defensive intensity had ramped back up, and the hosts were starting to turn the ball over at a high rate once again. With eight minutes left in the game, the visitors were still holding onto an eleven-point lead.
“These girls have played in a ton of big games. No moment is too big for them.” Jordan said. “They know not to hang their heads and to take things one play at a time. We knew it was not going to be easy tonight and once things got tough, they just got right after it again.”
The Stonebraker sisters combined for the first eight Whitko points of the fourth quarter, which allowed the team’s lead to grow all the way back up to 17. Jayma was flat out unconscious in the second half, going over 20 points on extremely efficient shooting.
“She’s been big for us for her entire career, so I’m pretty used to seeing it out of her at this point,” Jordan said with a smile. “Her and her sister both, once they get going we can be a really tough team to beat.”
Midway through the third quarter, it was a four-point game. Midway through the fourth, Whitko now led by 17. The Lady Warriors had succeeded in making the Lady ‘Cats uncomfortable throughout the middle two quarters, but it was not enough. The high-octane offense of the visitors had gotten back into a groove and the hosts were out of adjustments.
With three minutes left in the game, Jocelyn Luecke hit a corner three to put her team up by 20, which was essentially the dagger. With a minute and a half left in the game, both teams emptied their bench, allowing the visitors to put the finishing touches on an impressive win.
Jayma finished with 21 points, while Reese added 12. Jocelyn finished with eight, while Leffers and Brown each had four.
Whitko (22-1) will face Bluffton on Friday in the sectional semifinal.
“It’s going to be a dog fight. They’re a really well coached team that does a lot of things right,” the Whitko coach said. “It’s going to be another big test for us, especially since we beat them on their home court in the championship game last year. They’re going to want some get back from that but we’ll be ready.”
