Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON -ÊAlthough the Whitko Wildcats got the bye in the Tippecanoe Valley sectional, they did not necessarily have the luck of the draw on their side.
True, the Wildcats did not have to play in one of Tuesday's first-round sectional games. However, the Wildcats did have to face No. 4 (3A) Rochester in their first basketball game in the sectional semifinal.
When all was said and done, the bye did not help the Wildcats, as Whitko fell to Rochester 60-42 Friday night in Akron.
The Zebras struck first as Marie Rosswurm hit the first basket of the night with only 15 ticks off the first-quarter clock. Whitko's Aly Frantz answered with a basket of her own to knot the score at 2-2.
Monica Sands hit the next basket to put the Wildcats up 4-2 at the 6:10 point in the first frame. That was the last lead Whitko held in the game.
Rochester's Jill Bair answered Sands' basket with a three-pointer, and the race was on for the Zebras. By the end of the first quarter, Rochester was up 17-9.
Whitko came as close as four points when Frantz nailed a jumper at the 4:25 mark in the second frame to make the score 21-17 in Rochester's favor.
But once again, Rochester fired up and built a 34-21 lead that the Zebras took into the lockers at the half.
In the third frame, Sands again provided the spark the Wildcats needed to get fired up. She hit the first basket of the third frame to make the score 34-23.
However, defense was the main focus of the third stanza. Whitko and Rochester combined for just 17 points. Heading into the final quarter of play, Rochester held a 43-29 advantage.
Again in the fourth quarter, Sands was a sparkplug for Whitko. In the first four minutes of play in the final frame she scored six points.
But at the 3:25 mark, Sands was called for her fifth foul, and Whitko's bubble burst. The Wildcats were outscored 9-5 by the Zebras in the remainder of the game.
"We tend to concentrate on her (Monica Sands) as a post player," said Whitko coach Mike Sands. "They depend on her, and when she went out, they deflated.
"She's six feet tall. Refs are gonna notice her. It's something we've had to battle all year. I just wish the officials would give the kids a little more room."
In the end, Rochester came out on top 60-42.
"We tried to contain the ball and work them inside," said Sands. "It worked well, and we stayed with them for a while, but Monica got into some foul trouble, and we lost it at the end."
Whitko finishes the season 8-13. Rochester (No. 4 3A) will battle Plymouth (No. 9 3A) at tonight's sectional final in a matchup of state ranked teams.
No. 4 (3A) ROCHESTER 60
WHITKO 42
Rochester 17 17 9 17 - 60
Whitko 9 12 8 13 - 42
Whitko FG FT R S Pts.
*Walter 2-7 0-0 5 0 5
*Frantz 5-16 0-0 3 3 10
*Metzger 1-5 2-2 3 0 4
*Nestel 1-4 1-2 5 1 3
*Sands 6-7 0-0 3 1 12
Badskey 4-5 0-0 1 5 8
Menck 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 18-41 3-4 20 10 42
Rochester FG FT R S Pts.
*J. Bair 6-11 2-2 4 0 18
*Ewing 4-7 6-10 7 4 14
*T. Bair 4-12 5-5 6 1 13
*Rosswurm 3-5 0-0 3 0 6
*Milliser 0-6 0-1 1 1 0
Thomas 1-2 2-2 2 0 4
Fischer 1-1 0-0 0 1 2
Bowers 1-1 1-2 2 1 3
Whitsler 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 20-45 16-22 25 8 60
Three-point goals -ÊWhitko 1-6 (Walter 1-5, Frantz 0-1), Rochester 4-20 (J. Bair 4-8, T. Bair 0-4, Ewing 0-2, Milliser 0-5, Thomas 0-1). Total fouls - Whitko 18, Rochester 10. Fouled out -ÊSands. Turnovers -ÊWhitko 17, Rochester 13.
