Girls Basketball: Waubonsie Valley bounces back to top Metea Valley
| Corey R. Minkanic~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 15, 2011 10:20PM
You never know how a team will respond to a loss until it has to do so.
Waubonsie Valley dropped its first game of the season on Tuesday to Bartlett, but the Warriors couldn’t have started much better than they did in Thursday’s Upstate Eight Valley game against visiting Metea Valley, jumping to a 13-0 lead and cruising to a 47-37 victory.
“I thought we played well all around,” Waubonsie Valley coach Kim Connell said. “We did a nice job of scoring off turnovers and we rebounded well, especially offensively, getting putbacks from Gratia (Brooks) and Rachael (Ross).”
Waubonsie Valley (8-1, 3-1) jumped ahead with multiple steals and layups as well as a jumper, a three-pointer and a putback. Tami Morice (15 points) got the Warriors started with a three-pointer, and she also put the team ahead 13-0 with a steal and a layup.
“We didn’t come out to play,” Metea Valley coach Kris Kalivas said. “You can’t spot a team like (Waubonsie Valley) to 22 points in the first quarter.”
Metea Valley (4-7, 2-3) committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter and fell behind 22-7. The Mustangs would outscore the Warriors 30-25 over the final three quarters, but the damage had already been done in the opening eight minutes.
The loss to Bartlett on Tuesday served as motivation for the Warriors who hope to remain in the race for a conference title.
“I don’t think we were really upset coming out,” said Ross, who totaled nine points and five rebounds. “We got over it, moved on and knew that this was the first of the rest of our games that we have to win out.”
The Warriors controlled the glass, enjoying a 33-24 rebounding edge. They also converted 9-of-13 free throws.
“We didn’t necessarily distribute well against Bartlett so I was proud of the things we improved on in the first half,” Connell said. “It was nice that we didn’t come out in the second half content with a 16-point lead, but played with a purpose.”
Brooks added 15 points for the winners, while Erica Jordan and Ryaen Johnson each collected five rebounds.
Metea Valley received a team-best nine points from Lori Obendorf and eight rebounds from Amira Turner.
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