WeBo tops Traders Point in final non-conference game
Jan. 24—WHITESTOWN — While it wasn't going to be their most competitive game on their schedule, the Western Boone girls basketball team wanted to make sure they got something out of Tuesday night's game against Traders Point.
The Stars came into the game having won four of their previous five games, and continued to build momentum toward the sectional with a 60-14 win.
"The intention tonight was to work on some stuff for the sectional," Western Boone head coach Hannah Kelly said. "We started a little slower than I wanted to, but once we got on a roll, we did some good things in the second quarter and into the second half. We wanted to work on some new things, and this was a good game to do that and get another win under our belt and get some confidence heading into the sectional."
It was a struggle to score for both teams early, with Western Boone scoring on just one of its first nine possessions and Traders Point failing to score on their first 14.
But midway through the first quarter, the Stars started to use their defense to take control, forcing turnovers that led to easy baskets.
Katheryn Rutherford and Ki'erra Koch were the main beneficiaries early, combining to score the Stars' first 10 points. Then after a free throw from Carlie Pennington, WeBo led 11-0.
The Stars forced 30 turnovers in the game, allowing just 31 Knights' shots. WeBo also out-rebounded Traders Point 39-19.
"I was happy with the adjustments the girls made," Kelly said. "We did a little bit of everything tonight — we ran some 3-2, some 1-3-1 and some man — I was proud of the girls for the way they were adjusting and communicating. That's a big part of it, just knowing where they are supposed to be and when to be there."
Western Boone led 14-5 at the quarter and 29-7.
They pushed the lead to 48-9 in the third before closing it out. The score also allowed the Stars to go deep in their bench.
Three players set, or matched their career highs in scoring — Saige Terwiske and Emmerson Gott with six, and Peri McClaskey got into the scoring column for the first time this year.
"It's really neat for some of those girls to get some playing time and get some buckets too," Kelly said. "It was great to see them play well, and the other girls cheering them on — that really builds team morale and chemistry."
Katheryn Rutherford had 15 points, nine steals and six rebounds. Koch had 11 points, five steals and four rebounds.
Emmy Roys added eight points and nine rebounds, with Pennington, Terwiske and Gott adding six.
Western Boone hosts North Montgomery in their final regular season game on Saturday, then faces Lebanon in the sectional on Tuesday.
"We want to be more consistent throughout all four quarters and not have a slow start," Kelly said. "We really want to fine tune our defense, and make sure we know where we are supposed to be. Offensively, we want to find the gaps and look for the open individuals."
Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.
