Lady Wildcats Emphasize Team Concept
November 2, 2016 at 4:34 p.m.
Lady Wildcats Emphasize Team Concept
By Mark [email protected]
But there’s more to the Lady Wildcat basketball team than the one person who is verbally committed to play next season at Big East school Xavier University.
She certainly has the statistics of a team leader. Reiff became Whitko’s all-time leading scorer last season (1,270 coming in to this season), and averaged almost 20 points a game last season. She averaged better than five rebounds, five assists and three steals per contest. She’s also No. 1 in career assists, rebounds and steals at Whitko.
But Reiff is one of six seniors on the team. A junior, two sophomores and a freshman help blend the experience of setting school records for wins in a season the last two years, with young players who now have a trail blazed for them.
Head coach Brandon Bradley is quick to say the Lady Wildcats and their recent success is a team effort within a program, rather than a one-player show that goes away with graduation.
“We are a team first and foremost. (Reiff) doesn’t look at it that way (being a one-player show), and I don’t think we as coaches look at it that way,” he said. “We have more than one player capable of scoring the ball.
“Now, when we get down to end-of-game situations, and we need a bucket; yeah, we have a couple of different players we’ll focus on getting open, depending on situations.”
In many ways, the squad will depend on Reiff, who has worked hard in the last three offseasons to hone her game.
“Since she was in the seventh or eighth grade, Aly’s played against the best competition nationally,” Bradley said. “What that does is help slow the game down at the high school level; kids just aren’t as big, athletic or physical. So it makes her feel like she’s bigger, more athletic and more physical at times.
“Playing that competition will not only help her when she plays for us, but moving forward as she goes to the next level as well.”
One of the things higher-level opponents have been able to do is get Reiff in foul trouble early in big games; something for which Bradley sees a solution.
“I think it’s more of an anxiety thing; she feels the need to step up and be even better in big games. Honestly, I think she gets herself a little bit too invested and a little bit too off-balance even, just because she’s trying to be so aggressive,” he said.
In the sectional two seasons ago, Brianna Cumberland suffered a knee injury that, in some ways, she’s just now getting past, in time for her senior season.
Cumberland will likely clear 1,000 career points this season, leaving her at No. 2 on the Whitko scoring chart. Last season she averaged just over nine points a game. Her career average is 11.6 ppg.
“Last season she came in rehabbing from the knee injury, and she had got out of shape a little bit, and she knew it. So the first part of last season was getting her comfortable and back in the flow, and trying to be more explosive every week. We started to see glimpses down the stretch where she was more comfortable,” Bradley said.
“Her summer team was guard-heavy, so she played more forward, which was not her natural position. She didn’t get to play as much guard as she had in the past, but she looks better athletically.
“There was a point in early September where we were doing workouts and you could see it just clicked. I think we’re going to see a kid who plays more like she did as a sophomore, and averages close to 15 points a game. She may not be as explosive as she was as a sophomore, but she’s smarter and she’s stronger, and those will make up for it more than anything.”
Bradley said twin sisters Haley and Hanna Yohe return with plenty of on-court experience. After missing her sophomore year due to an ACL injury, “Kennedy Krull returned last season to provide us with a nice interior presence. She is skilled, versatile, long, and fluidly athletic,” Bradley said.
The sixth senior is Brooke Christoffel, who will step into an interior role vacated by the graduation of Jennifer Reiff.
If there’s a surprise on the squad, it’s freshman Brielle Harrison, who could compete for minutes right away on a thin front line.
“Based on her play this June, Brielle will have an opportunity to earn key minutes and possibly start some this season,” Bradley said. “She is long, very athletic, and she is a defending and rebounding type of player. She is skilled like a small forward, but on a team with little size she adds to our frontcourt depth.”
Emalee Duggins missed the first half of last season, but Bradley said she might start a few games this year as a sophomore. Junior Anna Ousley returns from a back injury that cost her the entire season last year, and Kayla Schipper has stepped up to provide depth as a sophomore. Ellie Snep worked her way up to the varsity as a freshman last year, with a pair of starts toward the end of the season.
Whitko has accepted the challenge of a tough schedule with games against bigger schools. They will take on No. 5 (4A) Penn on Dec. 2, and Warsaw and Huntington North are also on the schedule.
The Lady Wildcats begin their season Friday night, hosting Fort Wayne North at about 7:45 p.m.
But there’s more to the Lady Wildcat basketball team than the one person who is verbally committed to play next season at Big East school Xavier University.
She certainly has the statistics of a team leader. Reiff became Whitko’s all-time leading scorer last season (1,270 coming in to this season), and averaged almost 20 points a game last season. She averaged better than five rebounds, five assists and three steals per contest. She’s also No. 1 in career assists, rebounds and steals at Whitko.
But Reiff is one of six seniors on the team. A junior, two sophomores and a freshman help blend the experience of setting school records for wins in a season the last two years, with young players who now have a trail blazed for them.
Head coach Brandon Bradley is quick to say the Lady Wildcats and their recent success is a team effort within a program, rather than a one-player show that goes away with graduation.
“We are a team first and foremost. (Reiff) doesn’t look at it that way (being a one-player show), and I don’t think we as coaches look at it that way,” he said. “We have more than one player capable of scoring the ball.
“Now, when we get down to end-of-game situations, and we need a bucket; yeah, we have a couple of different players we’ll focus on getting open, depending on situations.”
In many ways, the squad will depend on Reiff, who has worked hard in the last three offseasons to hone her game.
“Since she was in the seventh or eighth grade, Aly’s played against the best competition nationally,” Bradley said. “What that does is help slow the game down at the high school level; kids just aren’t as big, athletic or physical. So it makes her feel like she’s bigger, more athletic and more physical at times.
“Playing that competition will not only help her when she plays for us, but moving forward as she goes to the next level as well.”
One of the things higher-level opponents have been able to do is get Reiff in foul trouble early in big games; something for which Bradley sees a solution.
“I think it’s more of an anxiety thing; she feels the need to step up and be even better in big games. Honestly, I think she gets herself a little bit too invested and a little bit too off-balance even, just because she’s trying to be so aggressive,” he said.
In the sectional two seasons ago, Brianna Cumberland suffered a knee injury that, in some ways, she’s just now getting past, in time for her senior season.
Cumberland will likely clear 1,000 career points this season, leaving her at No. 2 on the Whitko scoring chart. Last season she averaged just over nine points a game. Her career average is 11.6 ppg.
“Last season she came in rehabbing from the knee injury, and she had got out of shape a little bit, and she knew it. So the first part of last season was getting her comfortable and back in the flow, and trying to be more explosive every week. We started to see glimpses down the stretch where she was more comfortable,” Bradley said.
“Her summer team was guard-heavy, so she played more forward, which was not her natural position. She didn’t get to play as much guard as she had in the past, but she looks better athletically.
“There was a point in early September where we were doing workouts and you could see it just clicked. I think we’re going to see a kid who plays more like she did as a sophomore, and averages close to 15 points a game. She may not be as explosive as she was as a sophomore, but she’s smarter and she’s stronger, and those will make up for it more than anything.”
Bradley said twin sisters Haley and Hanna Yohe return with plenty of on-court experience. After missing her sophomore year due to an ACL injury, “Kennedy Krull returned last season to provide us with a nice interior presence. She is skilled, versatile, long, and fluidly athletic,” Bradley said.
The sixth senior is Brooke Christoffel, who will step into an interior role vacated by the graduation of Jennifer Reiff.
If there’s a surprise on the squad, it’s freshman Brielle Harrison, who could compete for minutes right away on a thin front line.
“Based on her play this June, Brielle will have an opportunity to earn key minutes and possibly start some this season,” Bradley said. “She is long, very athletic, and she is a defending and rebounding type of player. She is skilled like a small forward, but on a team with little size she adds to our frontcourt depth.”
Emalee Duggins missed the first half of last season, but Bradley said she might start a few games this year as a sophomore. Junior Anna Ousley returns from a back injury that cost her the entire season last year, and Kayla Schipper has stepped up to provide depth as a sophomore. Ellie Snep worked her way up to the varsity as a freshman last year, with a pair of starts toward the end of the season.
Whitko has accepted the challenge of a tough schedule with games against bigger schools. They will take on No. 5 (4A) Penn on Dec. 2, and Warsaw and Huntington North are also on the schedule.
The Lady Wildcats begin their season Friday night, hosting Fort Wayne North at about 7:45 p.m.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092