By Jason Arndt
Editor
Courtesy of Delaney Brown, and key turnovers, the Wilmot Union High School girls basketball team defeated visiting Westosha Central on Dec. 20.
Brown, coming off a game-high 18 points at Burlington Dec. 18, scored 10 in Wilmot’s 67-35 win against a Falcons squad experiencing a trying season.
“Defensively, we forced 43 turnovers, our defensive presence really helped,” said Wilmot coach Jerod Boyd.
“Delaney Brown made some big shots.”
Brown, who scored eight first half points, finished 5-for-8 from field goal range.
Wilmot, which improved to 4-4 and 4-1 in the Southern Lakes Conference following the win, carried a 32-23 lead into halftime.
Westosha Central presented an early challenge in the contest by posting its largest lead at 13-7 on a junior Jenna Leslie 3-pointer.
The Lady Falcons, with just three players on the bench, saw it diminish to two when Leslie later tumbled down with a knee injury with 6:30 left in the first half.
Leslie, a guard, forced Falcons coach Mindy Stewart to make backcourt adjustments.
“I think any time someone goes down on your team, it took a little hit on our ball handling,” she said. “Jenna was one of our main guards and her game has improved so much and for her to go down, it was an adjustment, especially when you play a rival like Wilmot.”
In the second half, the Panthers outscored the Falcons 35-12 to come away with the victory.
The loss comes in spite of a game-high 12 points from sophomore Jill Adams, who knocked in four of her five baskets in the first half.
Senior Sara Backus and junior Ellie Witt each had seven points.
For the Panthers, including Brown, they received contributions from 11 players.
While senior Riley Alexander and junior Kenzi Ketterhagen had eight points apiece, five players knocked in another six, including four seniors. The seniors were Haley Lamberson, Karoline Klahs, Aryana Rita and Kiya Thompson. Junior Karina Leber was the other contributor.
Westosha Central, meanwhile, is still in search of its first win.
Despite the trying season, Stewart just wants her team to have fun, and added some of her injured players could be returning in the immediate future.
Michelle Frahm, a 6-foot-1 post, is one of the players.
“Michelle Frahm is on her way back, Jenna Leslie will hopefully be back depending on her knee.”
Vozel holds court
At Burlington on Dec. 18, when the Panthers were about to tip-off against the Demons, Boyd received a call from his wife who was about to welcome a son into their family.
With the call, Boyd handed over the coaching duties to Vozel, who did not miss a beat.
“We had a good game plan, and she is a great coach and I never once was nervous,” Boyd said.
Vozel, a 2013 Wilmot graduate and three-time SLC first team honoree, guided the Panthers to a 67-24 victory as the interim coach.
The Panthers carried a 31-13 into the second half, where they outscored the Demons 36-11.
Wilmot, in addition to Brown’s 18 points, received contributions from Ketterhagen (12 points) and Klahs (11).
Cora Anderson led Burlington scorers with 10 points.