Athletics: Girls Basketball

Girls Basketballers Overtake Bishop Neumann and Arlington in Close Victories

Lady Warriors Post 13-6 Record

by Wes Kramer

February 12, 2007

Arlington (2/8/07):

Wahoo earned its thirteenth victory of the year against the Arlington Eagles, 51-47. It was the final home game of the year, and Brianna Triplett, Brittany Zetocka, and Annalisa Chvatal participated in their last game on the home court.

The Warriors had some difficulty from the charity stripe, only hitting on 14 of 31 attempts, which kept the game close. Mallory Shanahan scored 17 points while Triplett added 11, and Jordan Hinrichs scored 9. Shanahan also collected 14 boards while Amber Henkel added 8.

Wahoo Bishop Neumann (2/2/07):

The Warriors claimed a second victory of the season against the Cavaliers of Bishop Neumann, 38-36. The high-energy contest was close throughout.

Head Coach Linda Walker commented, "I was so proud of the way we played down the stretch."

The Warriors showed great determination, hustle and poise. The substitutes gave the starters rest and did a great job on the court. Wahoo out-rebounded Neumann 22-12. The home-team did a fantastic job of connecting on their free-throws down the stretch.

Mallory Shanahan led the team with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Brianna Triplett chipped in 8 points and 4 rebounds.

OTHER GAME SUMMARIES:

Gretna (1/30/07)

The Wahoo girls hosted the undefeated #1-ranked Dragons of Gretna. The Class B defending State Champs won the contest 48-33.

The Warriors fell behind 11-5 at the end of the first quarter, but had a chance to take the lead midway through the second. The Warriors went into the locker-room down by 7.

Wahoo committed 9 turnovers in the critical third quarter that allowed Gretna to expand its lead.

"We knew we would have to play flawless and that didn't happen, even though we played hard," commented Head Coach Linda Walker.

Abbey Grandgenett led the team with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Brianna Triplett and Mallory Shanahan each chipped in 8 points.

Conestoga (1/27/07--Consolation Game Conference Tournament)

Wahoo came back from the tough loss against Syracuse with a strong effort against Conestoga in the Consolation game of the Capitol Conference Tournament, winning 52-32.

Head Coach Linda Walker commented, "The girls played a great fourth quarter. We finished this game strong."

Amber Henkel led the team with 10 points while Abbey Grandgenett and Brianna Triplett each chipped in 10 points. Mallory Shanahan and Taylor Kavan each recorded 7 rebounds.

Syracuse (1/26/07--Semi-Finals Conference Tournament)

The Warriors fell to the Rockets of Syracuse, 32-56, in the semi-finals of the Capitol Conference Tournament. Syracuse played a consistently strong game.

"We struggled to play solid defense, rebound and be an offensive threat," said Head Coach Linda Walker.

Mallory Shanahan recorded 9 points while Brianna Triplett scored 9 points.

Raymond Central (1/23/07--First Round Conference Tournament):

Wahoo defeated the Mustangs of Raymond Central 55-36 in a first-round Capitol Conference Tournament match-up at home. The Warriors applied significant defensive pressure in the third quarter to outscore the opponents 13-4.

"We played a more consistent game. At times we executed very well. We missed some great scoring opportunities early. We responded with a dominating third quarter," commented Head Coach Linda Walker.

Amber Henkel led the Warriors with 16 points. Mallory Shanahan played with rebounding and blocking tenacity in the second half. She led the team with ten rebounds and six blocked shots. Brianna Triplett placed herself into the passing lanes frequently by garnering seven steals.

Douglas County West (1/13/07):

The Wahoo girls hosted DC West for an afternoon contest, winning 43-33.

Head Coach Linda Walker said, "Playing our fifth game in nine days always seems to pose big challenges for us."

The Warriors found themselves down 8-10 at the end of the first quarter, but responded with a solid effort in the final three stanzas. Brianna Triplett made her presence known shooting 5/10 from the charity stripe and 8/15 from the paint. Amber Henkel’s 7/8 from the free-throw line helped the team cause.

"The girls have earned some much needed rest. They’ve battled hard and must reenergize for the coming game against Raymond Central and the Conference Tournament," Walker commented.

Grand Island Northwest (1/12/07):

Wahoo ended up on the losing end of its first over-time game of the season, losing 35-36 at Grand Island Northwest (GINW). GINW shot very well the first half. The Warriors appeared to be a step slow on defensive recovery and became very passive offensively for long stretches in the game. The Warriors’ perimeter game was almost nonexistent, but Brianna Triplett and Mallory Shanahan were able to control the inside.

"This game should have ended differently. We will use it to better ourselves," said Head Coach Linda Walker.

Omaha Mercy (1/7/07):

The Warriors defeated the Monarchs of Mercy 55-48 on the home floor. It was the Warriors’ third game in five days. Wahoo got off to a slow start in the game that was a constant battle until the final minutes.

"We knew their post inside would be strong," remarked Head Coach Linda Walker. The team shot well and played good enough defense to beat a solid team. It was a well-balanced game with 3 players in double figures helping to cap the victory. Jordan Hinrichs and Amber Henkel both played well.

Bishop Neumann (Final Round Holiday Tournament):

The Wahoo team defeated cross-town rival Bishop Neumann 39-30 in the championship game of the Wahoo Holiday Tournament.

Head Coach Linda Walker remarked, "It was an awesome victory over a solid team. The girls played with great heart and communicated very well."

The Warriors attacked the Neumann pressure defense from the outset. They didn't let the Cavaliers get into their transition game for easy baskets.

Wahoo also hit some bit shots late in the third and early in the fourth quarters to give them the edge.

Kari Darnell played a solid game in her first start of the year.

"Amber Henkel, Jordan Hinrichs and Kari Darnell were tough on the perimeter and our post players did an outstanding job," Walker added.

Brianna Triplett sank 6 of 8 freethrows down the stretch to seal the victory.

Lincoln Christian (1st Round Holiday Tournament):

The Warriors produced an opening round victory over the Crusaders of Lincoln Christian in the first round of the Wahoo Holiday Tournament, 54-41. It was a great win after the holiday break. Wahoo came out attacking and set the tone of the game early. The Crusaders garnered 9 offensive rebounds in the first quarter, which accounted for 10 of their opening period points.

"Our post players, Mallory Shanahan and Brianna Triplett, rebounded well and gave the team more scoring power," commented Head Coach Linda Walker.

Abbey Grandgenett played a great game, shooting well from beyond the arch and accumulating 5 assists and 6 steals.

"It was exciting to see Amber Henkel step her game up and lead the team," Walker added.

Ft. Calhoun (12/14/06):

The Warriors visited the undefeated Pioneers of Ft. Calhoun on December 14. The Warriors fell 31-56. Ft. Calhoun's pressure defense took the Warriors out of the game mentally. Wahoo struggled to make great decisions. The balanced team scoring was missing. Mallory Shanahan had 13 points to lead the team.

Wahoo did a great job containing all-stater Emma-Frost Briley, holding her to 9 pts.

Fort Calhoun outscored the Warriors 18-6 in the 3rd quarter to create a separation of the score.

Abbey Grandgenett and Taylor Kavan had 6 rebounds each.

Conestoga (12/8/06):

The Warriors visited the 3-0 Conestoga Cougars on December 8 and came away with a 52-38 victory. Wahoo played much stronger, however, Conestoga rallied to outscore the Warriors 14-8 in the 3rd quarter to pull within 32-25 entering the final stanza. The Warriors then put together a good 4th quarter. outscoring the Cougars 20-13.

Abbey Grandgenett led the team with 16 points while Mallory Shanahann chipped in 14 points. and 6 rebounds.

D. C. Aquinas (12/7/06):

Wahoo earned its second victory of the season when the Monarchs of David City Aquinas visited on December 7, by outscoring them 45-30.

The Warriors started the game off very strong, but went stale in the 2nd quarter, allowing Aquinas to be closer than they wanted. Wahoo played a much more consistent 2nd half by shooting very well from the freethrow line and keeping their turnovers in check. The Warriors defense led to 27 Monarch turnovers.

Brianna Triplett and Mallory Shanahan each scored 10 points and collected 7 rebounds.

Seward (12/2/06) :

The Wahoo Warriors suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Seward Bluejays 48-56 on Saturday night.

Wahoo bulled itsway to a 13-10 lead after one period. The Warriors were outscored 34-20 during the middle periods.

"We let down the 3^rd quarter which led to our defeat. Seward outscored us 10-0 to begin the 2^nd half. We struggled to score and take care of the ball. We need to perform with greater focus and energy," remarked Head Coach Linda Walker.

Mallory Shanahan led the Warriors with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brianna Triplett added 7 points and 5 rebounds. Amber Henkel chipped in 7 points.

Bennington (12/1/06) :

The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Bennington Badgers 50-26 in the season opener for both teams on Friday night, December 1.

Wahoo led 20-14 at halftime.

A slow first half found Wahoo up by just 6 at 20-14 heading into the break.

"We turned up the defense and ran the floor well the second half," said Head Coach Linda Walker.

Indeed, the Warriors outscored the Badgers 30-12 over the final two stanzas.

Kari Darnell and Brianna Triplett paced the Warriors with 14 and 13 points respectively. Triplettalso led the team with 8 rebounds. Amber Henkel and Mallory Shanahan collected 5 boards each.

"It was a good start to our season. Bennington is a much improved team from a year ago," Walker added.