AKRON – Through nine games, all of which were wins, the Winamac High School varsity girls basketball team gave up an average of just under 28 points per game.
What the Lady Warriors didn’t do in those nine games, however, was face a player like Tippecanoe Valley senior Sophie Bussard.
With Southeast Missouri State University’s Rekha Patterson, the NCAA Division I coach she is signed to play for next season, in attendance Thursday evening, the 5-foot-9 Bussard torched Winamac’s defense for 23 points in the second half en route to a game-high 32 points.
Valley trailed 6-2 early but used a 19-4 run that bridged the first and second quarters while cruising to a 53-35 win.
The Lady Vikings beat Winamac for the sixth straight season, upped their record to 9-3 and extended their win streak to four.
Winamac, a team that held three previous opponents to 17 or fewer points, fell to 9-1.
“We were up eight at the half, and I would have liked to have that in double digits ... I still wasn’t comfortable, but we thought the key was to continue to play well defensively like we did in the first half,” said Valley coach Chris Kindig.
“We played really well defensively. At times we didn’t block out, that hurt us with a few extra shots they got, but we wanted to come out those first two or three minutes of the third quarter and bump that up. We were able to do that and just kind of play keep-away, and in the fourth quarter they had to foul us.
“We played really well tonight. We played together. I realize we had a 32 spot and a couple 6s there, but the girls did what they needed to do, especially on the defensive end.”
Juniors Emma Craig and Makenzie Woodcox, as well as sophomore Haley Backus, scored six points each, while sophomore Sidney Wagner rounded out the Lady Vikings’ scoring with three points.
Valley led 9-7 after one quarter of play, 23-14 at halftime and 37-23 heading into the final frame.
The Lady Vikings made 17 of 22 free throw attempts in the win, including a 13-of-16 effort by Bussard.
Valley’s well-rounded star added five rebounds, five steals and three assists to her statline.
Bussard scored two points in the first quarter, had nine by halftime and netted 23 of Valley’s 30 second-half points.
She upped her career total to 1,074, which is fourth on the program’s all-time list behind Anne Secrest (1,580), Rebekah?Parker (1,420) and Staci Groom (1,136).
Though she got off to a slow start by her standards, Bussard certainly gave her future coach something to watch.
“I was really excited to see her. I had no idea she was coming, so that was really cool,” Bussard said of Patterson, who sat a few rows behind Valley’s bench in a red Southeast Missouri State T-shirt.
“I don’t think I was nervous (early in the game), Winamac did a great job on me and my teammates. Props to them in the first quarter. They’re a 9-1 team, and they deserve to be where they’re at.
“We were up eight at the half, and to get some separation I knew it was crucial to get off to a great start in the third quarter. I wanted to put my team on my back and get some stuff going. Energy wise I thought we were great in the second half, we really picked it up.”
Sophomore Laini Joseph led Winamac with 15 points, while sophomore Kendal Johnson and senior Jilian Brumm chipped in with seven and five points, respectively.
The Lady Vikings, who won the JV game 24-18, are in action again Saturday when they travel to Whitko for a Three-Rivers Conference clash.
Valley and Manchester are atop the TRC standings at 3-0, while Northfield and North Miami are both 3-1.
“We’ve got to keep it going. We’re 3-0 in the conference. Whitko has played a lot better the last few weeks. We saw them in our Thanksgiving tournament and they played Goshen within two or three points,” said Kindig.
“We’re gonna have to do that same formula ... take care of the basketball, put pressure on, turn them over, and maybe get some easy baskets on the other end. They do a pretty good job digging in defensively. Another big conference game, and I can guarantee you we’re not gonna overlook them one bit.”
