Strong First Half To Start 2020
Goessel Girls Varsity Basketball January 7, 2020 Wakefield Bombers @ Goessel
In the first minute tonight, Goessel’s Bluebird girls looked like they’ve had not taken any time off during the Christmas break. Against the visiting Wakefield Bombers, currently 2nd in the Wheat State League, the home Blue moved well, played solid defense and controlled the boards to lead 6-0. Goessel was up 14-10 at the half. A desultory 2nd half went south, however, and the home-standing ‘Birds fell to the visitors 21-29, going 5-12 in the third quarter and 2-7 in the final stanza.
Playing in their 2nd decade this season, the Lady Bluebirds’ Porclein Unruh found the net early on some great ball movement; Goessel’s light mid-court pressure caused several tie-ups and turnovers tonight. At 7:03, Lizzie Schmucker hit a runner and Bethany Herrel put up two more with a nifty roll in the paint to lead 6-0 before the echoes of the band’s great introductory anthems had finished ringing in the hall. Wakefield has some very capable players including Senior Tea Copenhaver, ball handler Kelly Flickinger and Sophomore post Ashley Pollman. Unruh swished the only Bluebird three of the night with 1:00 left, a sensational shot that caused the student section roller coaster to go up, down, left and right in scintillating rhythms like an undulating Chinese dragon. 9-6.
Out of the chute in the 2nd, it looked like shades of Page Hiebert, with Kaleigh Guhr tossing over the top in perfect rhythm to Schmucker for a great finish. Moments later Herrel swatted one nearly to Junction City. Goessel put another on the board with a very well executed inbounds set to Liz Alderfer for a 5 point lead 13-8. The Blue looked strong on the boards, had good volume in defensive mode, but were stymied by the Bombers’ pressure D. A winning 5-4 effort in the 2nd left it at 14-10 at the break.
Pollman took it to the Blue defense in the 3rd with some nice touches from 5 feet and Copenhaver put a bullet three in the hoop. Goessel could muster only a 14 footer from Alderfer that seemed to magnetically cling to the rim and fell through as well as a nice finish on a break from Alderfer as well. With 2:36, Wakefield took over the lead and never looked back. With 2:14 to go Emily Flaming hit the front end of two charities to stay at 19-20 and the third quarter ended 19-22.
Goessel ran out of steam in the 4th, putting the Bombers at the line 11 times (they converted 5). The Bluebirds could not find the hoop until the one minute mark when Schmucker buried one from 14 feet to go to 21-29. After a timeout, Goessel attempted full court pressure coverage, but could not get a turnover and the contest ended at 21-29.
Liz Alderfer and Lizzie Schmucker both had 6 for Goessel. Porclein Unruh put up 5, all in the first quarter. Bethany Herrel scored 2 and both Emily Flaming and Riley Graber notched one charity. Also seeing time tonight were: Kaleigh Guhr and Rachael Zogleman. Coach Hoopes commented that despite the strong start, the Goessel girls need to find a way to play all the way through and determine that they have the will to stay at a high level for all four quarters.
-Karl Brubaker
