Despite a seven-game road trip to start the season, it’s been an excellent time for the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton girls’ basketball team so far. Before Thanksgiving, they put on a clinic at Tri-City United, defeating the Titans 79-44 before pushing past New Ulm Cathedral in a 55-27 effort.
Since Thanksgiving break, they’ve beaten a pair of Gopher Conference opponents, including West Division rival United South Central on Monday, December 1, by a score of 62-43. They slipped past Randolph in a competitive back-and-forth matchup, 66-51, on Friday, December 5.
Bulldogs 62, Rebels 43
United South Central has sneakily been an improved team over the years, giving teams trouble and taking a 2-1 start to the season before facing the Bulldogs. It was certainly a test for the Lady Dawgs, but they got through it with a decisive victory.
The first half was a bit sloppy. For the first time this season, JWP scored first, taking one single point off the free throw. USC jumped ahead and had a one-score lead throughout much of the first half.
Once the Bulldogs started hitting baskets, they took back the momentum. Wheelock got a couple of threes to kickstart the offense and help keep USC at bay. Wolff was once again looking great on the court, providing some crucial baskets to keep the momentum going. The cold start turned into a fiery end to the first half. JWP went on a 21-5 run to turn a two-point lead halfway into the first into a 34-19 halftime score.
It was a better start for both teams in the second half. However, there were some not-so-great passes by the Bulldogs that USC snatched for some chances at the basket. Senior Nevaeh Weimert was getting a little frustrated, feeling she was being pushed around and getting fouled on despite no calls. She even somersaulted after being shoved at one point.
The team found a spark near the end again, going on a 20-9 run late to take the game 62-43. Haylee Appel scored the Bulldogs’ final two on a nice cut through the paint for the layup, while the Rebels had a player score a last-minute three to end the loss on a good note.
Weimert led the way in this one with 19 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Katie Olson tallied 16 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. Ashlynn Wolff had 12 points and eight rebounds, with Mikayla Wheelock contributing 11 points and nine rebounds.
Bulldogs 66, Rockets 51
The last time these two conference rivals played, JWP had first-half struggles at home, but got through them to win 75-30.
This time around, though, the Rockets were determined to use their home-court advantage to keep the game close.
Weimert got the Bulldogs on the board early with a corner three, followed by a three from Mikayla Wheelock. However, despite the 6-0 start, the Rockets took off with a 13-5 run of their own to take a narrow 13-11 lead. The girls knew they had to tighten up on defense, and they did just that. Senior Ellie Morsching snatched the ball from a Randolph player’s hands to prevent a potential basket that would have put the Bulldogs behind by two scores.
After halftime, though, JWP still found themselves behind Randolph. Another three-pointer by Wheelock cut the Rockets’ 30-24 lead to three early in the second half. The Bulldogs kept chipping away, and after solid defense and consistent shot-blocking, they had taken a 46-45 lead. With threes by Wheelock and Weimert, the Bulldogs went on a ten-point run to get the double-digit lead. Junior Ray Blasing took advantage of a pass deflection from freshman Ashlynn Wolff to take a clean fast break opportunity to pad their lead with a minute left.
Weimert and Wheelock shared the bulk of the scoring duties with 16 points each, with Wheelock recording six rebounds and Weimert three. Wolff had 15 points, led the team in rebounds with eight, and had three assists. Olson had 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
The girls will continue to build on their 4-0 record with a game at Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial later today (Tuesday, December 9), and two games at Maple River’s Holiday Showcase this weekend. Their first game will be a grudge match against Glencoe-Silver Lake on Friday, December 12, followed by another game against Jordan, ranked #7 in Class AA by Prep Girls’ Hoops, on Saturday, December 13.
