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Girls upset Wilton in playoff thriller
by Norv and Mary Coblentz · Sports · February 22, 2018
Tough defense, patience on offense, and keeping their focus helped the West Branch girls’ basketball team overcome the Wilton Beavers 43-40 Feb. 13 in a post-season contest at Wilton.
The Beavers were the source of two of the Bears’ six regular-season losses. With the win, the Bears won the right to face Regina in the regional semi-final game.
“That win means a lot for multiple reasons,” West Branch Head Coach Jarod Tylee said. “You can tell by how excited I was after the game. We wanted it badly for a lot of different reasons, and I’m just extremely proud of our team.
“(Wilton is) good defensively, and they make things hard on us. We missed some shots early. I told our girls if we were going to win it, it was going to be a grinder. It wasn’t going to be a scorefest. That’s what it turned into.
“Defensively, we were outstanding. We gave up 70-plus points to them the other two times we played them.”
Tylee took the opportunity to credit a senior who rarely gets noticed. “The one who doesn’t get recognized is Maddi Luneckas,” Tylee said. “She doesn’t get a lot of playing time. She’s one who makes things hard on our post people in practice and works her tail off and has done everything we’ve asked her to do. So she needs to be recognized. I’m proud of one through 13 on our bench, our managers, and my four assistant coaches. This was a group effort tonight, and I’m just extremely proud of them.”
The opening tip and first basket went to the Beavers, then Wilton got a defensive rebound and putback basket. Wilton was fouled on a shot after the Bears threw up an airball. The Beavers missed both free throws, and Abbey Fryauf got the rebound. A West Branch shot went in and out, and Wilton got the rebound. After a West Branch steal and a Wilton block, the Bears fouled the Beavers on a shot. This time, both free throws were made. Wilton had a 6-0 lead over the Bears. Taya Young got an offensive rebound, but Wilton got a steal. Kaiya Luneckas, who led all players in rebounds with 12 on the night, got her first rebound, and Sasha Koenig drove to the basket and scored the Bears’ first points of the game.
S. Koenig got a defensive rebound, then Fryauf made a putback basket for a 6-4 score. The teams traded fouls and rebounds until Mackenzie Heise got a defensive rebound, and Bridget Buol made a basket, assist S. Koenig, to tie the game at 6-6. Each team turned the ball over, then Wilton was fouled on a shot. The Beavers made both free throws. After another Heise defensive board, Tatum Koenig was fouled on a shot and made both free throws to tie the game at 8-8. Wilton got an offensive rebound but didn’t get a second shot off before the buzzer sounded.
The Bears had the ball to start the second quarter and had a chance to take their first lead of the game. But the shot didn’t go down, and Wilton got the rebound. The Beavers drove to the basket, scored, and drew a foul. The free throw was missed, and K. Luneckas got the board. A defensive rebound by Wilton and a three-point basket by the Beavers made it 13-8. K. Luneckas got an offensive rebound, but the Bears turned the ball over. Wilton was fouled on a shot and made the first of two free throws. K. Luneckas grabbed the board. Wilton stole the ball, and K. Luneckas stole the ball back. Wilton got a defensive rebound, Heise got a defensive rebound, and Young made a three-point shot, assist Luneckas, for a 14-11 score. Wilton made two consecutive baskets, one in the paint and one just inside the three-point line, taking an 18-11 lead.
The Bears traveled, then T. Koenig got a steal and layup. Each team turned the ball over, then the Beavers drew a foul and made two free throws. Another West Branch foul gave Wilton two more shots at the free throw line. They made the first and missed the second. T. Koenig got the rebound. Young scored, bringing the score to 21-15. Wilton was called for a charge, which Taylor Thein took for the Bears. After a Bears’ turnover, S. Koenig got a steal, and Thein scored, assist T. Koenig. Wilton’s shot at the buzzer missed. The Bears trailed 21-17 at halftime.
“It’s really good to see the starting five do what they need to do and have the people off the bench do what they need to do,” said Thein, who came off the bench for the Bears. “Having this exciting of a game means a lot and helps us going into Regina.”
The Beavers had the ball to start the second half. K. Luneckas got a defensive rebound then an offensive rebound, and Young made a three-pointer, assist K. Luneckas, pulling the Bears to within one point at 21-20. Wilton took a time out, then the teams traded turnovers until Wilton got a putback basket and drew a foul. The free throw was good, and Wilton was ahead 24-20. T. Koenig drove to the hoop and scored, and Wilton quickly answered with a two-pointer. K. Luneckas made a basket for a 26-24 score. Each team turned the ball over, Wilton got an offensive rebound, then K. Luneckas got a defensive rebound. Wilton got another defensive rebound, but so did K. Luneckas. K. Luneckas got her own rebound under the Bears’ basket and S. Koenig made a three-pointer, assist K. Luneckas. The Bears had their first lead of the game at 27-26.
Wilton made two baskets, a putback basket and a long two-pointer, taking a 30-27 lead. T. Koenig made a putback basket, then the Beavers were fouled on a putback try. Both free throws were missed. A jump ball was called on the rebound, and possession stayed with the Beavers. Wilton was fouled again but made both free throws. T. Koenig drove to the basket for the last score of the quarter. The Bears trailed by one at 32-31.
Wilton made one of three free throws to start the fourth quarter scoring. They got the rebound and made a three-point shot to take a 36-31 lead. Wilton got a defensive rebound, then each team turned the ball over. Wilton made a layup to take a seven-point lead. Heise scored in the paint to narrow the gap to five points. Wilton traveled and fouled. S. Koenig made a three-point basket, assist Young, for a 38-36 score. Wilton got a defensive rebound then turned the ball over. Wilton got another defensive rebound, the T. Koenig grabbed a defensive board. A jump ball went to Wilton, then Young got a defensive rebound. Young made a three-point basket, assist S. Koenig, and the Bears were back in the lead at 39-38. Heise got a defensive rebound, but the Bears traveled. Wilton was fouled and missed the front end of the one-and-one. Heise got the rebound.
Wilton fouled T. Koenig, and she drained both free throws for a 41-38 score. Wilton hit a jump shot from the free throw line for a 41-40 West Branch lead. Wilton took a time out then fouled T. Koenig again. She made both free throws, and giving the Bears a 43-40 lead with time running out. Wilton got off a three-point shot, but it missed. The rebound went off the Bears. S. Koenig got a steal to end any hope the Beavers had. The final score was 43-40.
“What we wanted to do was pull off a win somehow.” T. Koenig said. “I just knew we needed those two points, so when I got to the line, I focused, and I hit them. Because they were a good three-point shooting team tonight, I knew I had to hit those free throws.” T. Koenig was the only Bear to make it to the free throw line in the game, and she made them all.
“We just missed a lot of shots in that fourth quarter,” Wilton Head Coach Jeremy Putman said. “We missed free throws, too, that we needed to make. I thought our defense today was excellent. We kept them to 43 which is way below their average, but we struggled on the other end. We just couldn’t find baskets.”
1 2 3 4 T
WB 8 9 14 12 43
Wil 8 13 11 8 40
West Branch stats: Abbey Fryauf 1 0-0 2, 3 rebounds, 1 block; Kaiya Luneckas 1 0-0 2, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal; Tatum Koenig 4 6-6 14, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Bridget Buol 1 0-0 2, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal; Taylor Thein 1 0-0 2; Taya Young 4 0-0 11, 3 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Sasha Koenig 3 0-0 8, 2 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Mackenzie Heise 1 0-0 2, 6 rebounds
Wilton stats: Kortney Drake 6 7-8 19, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals; Kali Milder 1 rebound, 2 assists; Lexi Maurer 4 rebounds; Emily Lange 5 4-7 15, 1 3-pointer, 4 rebounds, 1 steal 1 block; Aubrey Putman 2 0-2 5, 1 3-pointer, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block; Linsey Ford 0 1-4 1, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
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