Lady Vikes finish L&C tournament in sixth
WAUSA — The Wausa Lady Vikings girls basketball team claimed sixth place in the lower division of the Lewis and Clark Conference tournament as they beat Walthill and fell to Bloomfield to wrap up action last week.
Wausa rolled past Walthill, 76-35 behind a full-court press that they used from the opening tip through the first half.
“We felt that we needed a game like speed of running our press,” Wausa head coach Brandon Kirby said. “The girls did a great job of staying in front of their girl. The girls also did a great job of pushing the ball up the court and looking for opportunities to score.”
Four Lady Vikings were in double figures as Blair Wakeley paced the attack with 12 points while Alexa Cunningham (11 points) Morgan Kleinschmit (10 points) and Brooke Kumm (10 points) also did plenty of damage.
“We did an OK job of moving the ball and getting shots that we could handle,” Kirby said. “There were moments we could see old habits coming back, but when you work with teenagers, that is part of the gig. However, the girls did a great job and put the ball in the hoop.”
Bloomfield and Wausa engaged for the third time and the Lady Vikings fell 59-47 thanks in large part to 33 turnovers.
Cunningham led the squad with 11 points.
“I felt that this game was the game that the girls would be able to get over that hump and get on a great path going into next week and sub-districts,” Kirby said. “Now, I did see a lot of good things on the court that if we can build on will make us a dangerous team. I even said that to the girls after the game, I felt as if we are a dangerous team that hasn’t realized it yet.
“The easy part is the coaches believe that the girls have it in them, the hard part is having the girls realize their full potential.”
The Lady Vikings (6-15) played at Hartington-Newcastle Tuesday night and will wrap the home slate for the 2020-21 campaign against Osmond.
“If the girls can believe in their abilities, I think we can win against Hartington and Osmond,” Kirby said. “I believe we have some of the best players in the area but like a nice car that is having a bunch of misfires in the engine, that us. Once we can get our timing down and play as a single unit, I don’t see us being stopped.”
Kirby noted the play of Kumm, who continues to be a stalwart in the post and had a solid week, especially against Bloomfield.
“I had Brooke Kumm front the post because the post killed us in the last couple of games,” Kirby said. “Brooke, did a great job of taking the post out of the game. I told her after the game she did a great job and that it’s performances like that, that win games.
“It’s like watching her make up for a year and a half in a matter of two months. It kind of breaks your heart to see it. I mean, everybody wonders what their potential could have been in high school.”
Kumm suffered a serious injury that, compounded with COVID-19 pandemic made her previous two seasons basically a wash.
Kumm said she and the Lady Vikings have found it difficult finding themselves at times and playing to their roles.
“In the Bloomfield game, I think I stepped in and played my role better and I feel like a lot of us are stepping up into the roles we need to play versus the ones we want to play,” she said. “It’s a slow process of us coming together, but I do think we’ve started on that the last couple of games.
“With basketball, we have no juniors and one senior who is out because she is hurt and another who had not played basketball in a couple of years. It’s a lot of leadership responsibility and having some of the younger girls stepping up as leaders which is a difficult thing to do.”
Kumm added that with such a large percentage of the team being younger players, that’s played a part in the team’s uneven play as much of the roster is still trying to figure the whole process out.
Kirby is now just trying to find the right combinations as the postseason encroaches.
“Our coaches talked about this after the Bloomfield game the other night,” Kirby said. “I stated that we are struggling to find that rotation with our youth and our inability to take care of the ball. But the biggest issue is just inconsistency in our play. Now, we have some who are exceeding our expectations like Brooke. But we just haven’t found that player that just raises above the rest and do so every game.”
WAUSA 6 12 12 17 — 47
BLOOMFIELD 14 13 15 17 — 59
SCORING
WAUSA Alexa Cunningham, 11;Abby Kaiser, 5; Blair Wakeley, 5; Hadley Vanness, 5; Alexis Munter, 5; Morgan Kleinschmit, 4; Ashlynn Timmerman, 4; Anika Alonzo, 4; Sienna West, 2; Brooke Kumm, 2.
REBOUNDS
WAUSA - Brooke Kumm, 9; Abby Kaiser, 5; Morgan Kleinschmit, 5; Sienna West, 5; Blair Wakeley, 3; Alexa Cunningham, 3; Christina Martinson, 1; Hadley Vanness, 1; Anika Alonzo, 1.
ASSISTS
WAUSA - Morgan Kleinschmit, 3; Brooke Kumm, 3; Blair Wakeley, 1; Christina Martinson, 1; Kilee Thorell, 1; Ashlyn Timmerman, 1. Sienna West, 1; Charlie Price, 1; Alexa Cunningham, 1; Anika Alonzo, 1.
STEALS
WAUSA - Morgan Kleinschmit, 3; Brooke Kumm, 3; Abby Kaiser, 2; Kilee Thorell, 2; Christina Martinson, 1; Sienna West, 1; Anika Alonzo, 1.
WAUSA 22 23 18 13 — 76
WALTHILL 9 3 7 16 — 35
SCORING
WAUSA - Blair Wakeley, 12; Alexa Cunningham, 11; Morgan Kleinschmit, 10; Brooke Kumm, 10; Sienna West, 7; Charlie Price, 7; Christina Munter, 5; Abby Kaiser, 4; Anika Alonzo, 4; Hadley Vanness, 2; Christina Martinson, 2; Kilee Thorell, 2.
REBOUNDS
WAUSA - Blair Wakeley, 5; Alexa Cunningham, 5; Abby Kaiser, 4; Morgan Kleinschmit, 4; Brooke Kumm, 4; Christina Martinson, 3; Anika Alonzo, 3; Ashlynn Timmerman, 2; Sienna West, 2; Charlie Price, 2; Alexis Munter, 2; Hadley Vanness, 1; Kilee Thorell, 1.
ASSISTS
WAUSA - Anika Alonzo, 3; Blair Wakeley, 2; Alexa Cunningham, 2; Abby Kaiser, 1; Morgan Kleinschmit, 1; Hadley Vanness, 1; Christina Martinson, 1; Kilee Thorell, 1; Charlie Price, 1.
STEALS
WAUSA - Abby Kaiser, 6; Blair Wakeley, 5; Morgan Klinschmit, 4; Kilee Thorell, 2; Sienna West, 2; Charlie Price, 2; Brooke Kumm, 2; Hadley Vanness, 1; Christina Martinson, 1; Ashlynn Timmerman, 1; Alexa Cunningham, 1; Anika Alonzo, 1.
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