GIRLS BASKETBALL: Panthers pounce early in Senior Night victory

Panthers’ senior Delaney Sjong, shown here against Delavan-Darien, scored 17 points in Friday’s win (Photo credit Nick Parisi/The Report).

Stanek nets career-high 24 points

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Following a loss at Union Grove Tuesday, the Wilmot Union High School girls basketball squad made an immediate statement in its 72-53 defeat of visiting Lake Geneva Badger Friday, when five Panther seniors received recognition.

One of the seniors, 5-foot-2 guard McKenna Stanek established a career-high 24 points, including 14 in the Panthers’ 43-17 first half.

McKenna Stanek

Stanek, who went 4-for-4 from the perimeter, said Friday’s win was redemption after her performance against Union Grove.

“I had a rough game against Union Grove and it felt good to finally see my hard work come off tonight,” said Stanek, who added the Panthers were on a mission to bounce back from the 51-47 loss to the Broncos.

“We came back and practiced hard these last few days and we were ready to play.”

Stanek, however, was not the only senior to contribute, with 5-10 forward Delaney Sjong scoring 17 points and adding seven rebounds.

Furthermore, 5-6 guard Devin Coleman pitched in 15 points along with a team-leading nine assists and five steals.

For 5-11 forward Cailin McCracken, she collected three rebounds and knocked in four points while 5-9 forward Andie Brown added another four points along with three steals.

Noting Senior Night, coach Keiya Square opted to start all five to open the contest, which drew favorable results.

“I think they played really well while they were in there and it was nice to see,” he said.

The five seniors, according to Coleman, have meshed well on and off the court.

“We have a lot of chemistry in the locker room and it just translated on the floor,” she said.

A collective start
The Panthers pounced early, courtesy of an 8-3 run following two Stanek buckets, a Sjong layup and 5-2 sophomore Haley Lamberson jumper.

Devin Coleman

Lamberson, who finished with four points, added five assists.

After Lake Geneva’s Madison Smid halted the rally with a basket, Stanek sparked a 9-0 run after she drained her first of four perimeter shots, followed by another bucket, with Brown and Sjong adding another four points to give Wilmot a 17-5 lead.

An 8-5 stretch in favor of Wilmot, followed by 3-pointers from both Coleman and Stanek widened the lead to 31-12.

The Panthers capped off the 43-17 first half with a 12-5 stretch, including eight points from Coleman, who felt a sense of urgency entering the contest.

“We are still playing for a conference title and we know that we have to win out in order to reach that,” said Coleman. “I feel like after all of our losses, it kind of lights a fire under us.”

Square agreed, adding the Panthers have demonstrated adversity throughout the season, including the loss to the Broncos on Tuesday.

“It is the kind of resiliency this team has, we have been talking about it all year,” said Square. “Tonight, the girls came right out, they were knocking down their jump shots right away. It was good, coming after a loss, to see how they responded the way they did in the first half.”

Stanek raises the bar
Lake Geneva opened the second half with an 18-6 run, which lasted nearly 10 minutes, until Stanek supplanted her previous career-high of 19 with a bucket to give her 21 points in the contest.

Stanek then added her fourth 3-pointer, rounding out her 24-point performance, to give the Panthers a 58-35 edge.

While Stanek has produced on the court, Coleman noted her vocal leadership has been an asset to the team.

“McKenna is just awesome, she is playing with so much enthusiasm and heart lately, and definitely gets the younger girls pumped up,” said Coleman.

According to Stanek, her support system has been instrumental.

“I finally have confidence in myself, honestly, my family has been awesome working with me,” said Stanek. “They have been so supportive in boosting my confidence every game.”

Meanwhile, Sjong kept the lead secure, knocking in eight of the Panthers’ next 14 points to give the Panthers the 72-53 victory.

Panthers distribute efficiently
The collaborative effort, according to Square, is due to the Panthers’ efficient passing scheme and seizing the open shots.

“Everybody was moving the ball, we were getting it into our post, kicking the ball out and they were knocking the ball down,” he said.

The Panthers, who improved to 14-5 overall, maintained a first-place tie with Union Grove in the SLC at 11-2.

For Lake Geneva, which received a team-leading 13 points from Jada Moss, the team dropped to 6-7 (9-10 overall).


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