Making almost half of its shots paid off big-time for the Waupaca girls’ basketball team.
The Comets shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and hit their last four shots Nov. 29 in a 54-46 nonconference win over Weyauwega-Fremont. The Comets improved to 2-2 on the season with the win, while the Indians fell to 1-1.
W-F outscored the Comets 13-11 in the first quarter, but Waupaca had an 11-8 advantage over the next eight minutes to take a 22-21 halftime lead.
Waupaca took a 32-30 lead into the fourth quarter, but W-F’s Macey Schoenick gave the Indians the lead with a three-pointer early in the period. Those turned out to be the only points the Indians scored for the next four minutes, as Waupaca went on a 6-0 run. W-F cut the lead to 38-37 on a Jenni Hellweg basket with 2:25 remaining, but Waupaca never trailed again.
“I was really impressed by how we executed offensively down the stretch,” Waupaca coach Brandon Temperly said. “We took care of the ball, we ran the clock down, we got the ball to the right people, we got some good shots. The patience and the poise under pressure was the best it’s been all year. The three seniors set the tone, but the rest of the girls really jumped on board. I was very pleased.”
The scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter was the difference in the game, W-F coach Joe Titus said.
“We were not able to get good looks,” he said. “We had some good matchups in certain areas, but we weren’t able to find them. That’s where we need to get better.”
The Indians also missed several shots in the paint during the game.
“We panicked a few times and a lot of that’s on me, too, ” Titus said. “I need to do a better job of getting kids in and out and help control the tempo. Finishing has been our thing the last couple of years. It’s something I have to address and do what I can do to make it better.”
Alta Littrel and Mikaila Johnson scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, to lead Waupaca. Schoenick led W-F with 12 points and Morgan Wilson also finished in double figures with 11.
“They’re a bigger team, but we felt we had the stronger team,” Temperly said. “That comes with body positioning. The girls really took that to heart, especially from the second quarter on. Our intensity really picked up and started making those hustle plays.”