GIRLS BASKETBALL: Panthers’ Sjong too much for short-handed Westosha

Wilmot still tops in the SLC

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Entering Friday’s Southern Lakes Conference contest with visiting Wilmot Union High School, the Westosha Central High School girls basketball squad was already down three players due to injury, including one of their leading post players.

Delaney Sjong

Panthers’ 5-foot-10 senior Delaney Sjong, in addition to 5-6 senior guard Devin Coleman, added another roadblock for the Falcons.

Courtesy of an 8-2 run, sparked by Sjong and Coleman, and several other stretches, the Panthers edged their cross town rivals 62-42 to stay atop the SLC.

The 20-point victory extends Wilmot’s win streak against the Falcons to 13 games, dating back to a Jan. 3, 2010 contest, where the Panthers lost by four points.

Sjong, who tallied a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, knocked in the contest’s first points, before Falcons Katrina Bostanche answered with a bucket of her own.

Bostanche, a 5-6 senior guard, scored seven of her 11 points in the first half and added five boards.

However, Coleman responded with back-to-back baskets, followed by another Sjong bucket to pull the Panthers ahead 8-2.

Falcons junior Shannen Griffiths, who started in place leading post player Siera Sieberth, pulled the contest within two points at 8-6 following two straight buckets in the paints.

While Griffiths finished with 10 points, she also pulled down five boards to tie Bostanche for the team lead.

Following Griffiths’ bucket, however, Sjong sparked a 13-2 run, in which Panthers’ senior McKenna Stanek capped it off with a shot from the arc to give Wilmot a 20-9 lead.

Falcons senior Lindsey Kimpler put a halt to the Panthers’ 13-2 run with a 3-pointer of her own, but the Panthers responded, with a freshman Julia Hickey perimeter shot.

Kimpler led all Falcon scorers with 12 points.

With the Panthers holding 23-12 lead, Sjong knocked seven consecutive points, three from the free throw line, followed by a Cailin McCracken basket to put Westosha Central in a 32-12 deficit.

Bostanche then connected on a perimeter shot before the Panthers closed out the 34-15 first half with a freshman Karina Leber bucket.

Coleman, who scored four of her eight points in the first half, finished with eight and had two steals.

For Panthers’ 5-11 junior Morgan Zenon, she knocked in six of her 11 points entering halftime, and finished with seven rebounds.

Bostanche tries to start a rally
Entering the second half, Bostanche made back-to-back baskets to diminish the Panthers’ lead to 34-20.

Following Bostanche’s four points, the Panthers went on a 7-2 run, before Griffiths added back-to-back buckets and followed by Kimpler perimeter shot.

Despite the Falcons early efforts, Wilmot stayed in control the rest of game, allowing 13 points the last 10 minutes of the contest to come away with the win.

Wilmot stays in sole possession of first place in the SLC at 8-1. (11-3 overall).

Meanwhile, for the Falcons, they dropped to 2-6 in the SLC and (4-11).


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