ALBION – Playing with poise took Whitko High School’s girls basketball team into the sectional semifinal. Refusing to panic helped land the Lady Wildcats in the championship game for the third-straight season. The No. 7-ranked Wildcats (19-6) staved off rallies by Central Noble (18-7) Friday on the way to a 50-37 victory in the semifinals of the Class 2A Central Noble Sectional. Whitko will play Westview (18-5), a 46-38 winner over Fremont in Friday’s second semifinal game. “We haven’t had too many situations this year where we panic,” Whitko coach Brandon Bradley said. “A lot of that has to do with a great deal of experience and a deal of talent with our upperclassmen. “We talked before tonight, and a lot of big games, that there’s going to be highs and there’s going to be lows, but you have to keep an even temper. Because if you get too excited or get too down, that’s when another team makes a run.” The Lady Wildcats led by as many as 11 points in the first half. A basket by Aly Reiff put them up 18-7 with 4:10 left in the second quarter. Sydney Freeman’s three treys in a two-minute span near the end of the second period pulled Central Noble to within 23-17. Whitko took a 26-17 edge into halftime. The Lady Cougars trailed 26-21 two minutes in the second half thanks to a free throw by Meleah Leatherman. Whitko responded with a 16-2 run. “We’ve got some resilience,” Bradley said. “We’ve been in these spots.” At 2:07 of the third quarter, Central Noble coach Josh Treesh received two technical fouls and an ejection and the Lady Cougars bench was assessed a technical. The resulting foul shots helped Whitko go up 42-23. Nine of Whitko’s 16 free throws came in the third quarter. The Lady Wildcats, who beat Central Noble 47-31 in Albion back on Nov. 10, extended their win streak to eight games. The Lady Cougars had won nine of its previous 11 coming into Friday’s rematch with Whitko. The Lady Wildcats’ balanced attack was led by Brianna Cumberland (15 points, including seven in the third quarter) and Jennifer Reiff (13; eight in the first quarter). Aly Reiff (five in the second quarter) and Hanna Yohe (seven in the third quarter) tallied 10 points each. Cumberland, who is coming back from a knee injury, is just starting to get her explosiveness back. “She’s had some really good games here at the end of the season,” said Bradley. Bradley also saw Whitko helped by the play of its resident “scrapper” in Hanna Yohe. “Hanna’s play has really improved over the last two or three weeks,” Bradley said. “She’s had multiple double-digit games and it’s all scrapping.” Leatherman led Central Noble with 15 points (eight in the third quarter) and Freeman had 11 (nine in the second quarter). Whitko turned the ball over 10 times and benefitted from 22 turnovers by the Lady Cougars, including 15 in the first half. Using an extended 1-3-1 zone, the Lady Wildcats frustrated Central Noble into making uncomfortable passes. “Central Noble did a great job of making a couple key sets,” Bradley said. “We made some good adjustments at halftime. They went to something in the third quarter and we made an adjustment at the quarter break.” Now Whitko will try to win the program’s first sectional title. “We’ve been in the championship game the last two years and haven’t gotten over that hurdle,” Bradley said. “(The players) brought it up after the game. I think they’re pretty even-tempered. They know what they want and they know what it’s going to take to get there. Once we take the floor, we have to be poised and play with a purpose.”
WHITKO 50, CENTRAL NOBLE 37 CN 5 12 8 12 – 37 W 15 11 19 5 – 50 Central Noble – Courtney Freeman 1-2 0-0 2, Mikayla Stringfellow 2-5 0-1 4, Meleah Leatherman 6-11 3-6 15, Jordan Askren 1-2 2-4 5, Sydney Freeman 4-11 0-0 11, Katie Vice 0-1 0-0 0, Calista Rice 0-0 0-0 0, Krista Custer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-32 5-11 37. Whitko – Kennedy Krull 0-0 0-0 0, Jennifer Reiff 3-9 7-8 13, Aly Reiff 4-15 0-1 10, Hanna Yohe 3-4 4-5 10, Brianna Cumberland 4-8 5-8 15, Emily Day 0-1 0-2 0, Avaree Freel 0-0 0-0 0, Haley Yohe 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 15-38 16-24 50. Three-pointers – Central Noble 4 (S. Freeman 3, Askren), Whitko 4 (A. Reiff 2, Cumberland 2); Rebounds – Central Noble 27 (Leatherman 10), Whitko 26 (A. Reiff 7); Turnovers – Central Noble 22, Whitko 10; Fouls – Central Noble 14, Whitko 14; Fouled out – none; Technicals – Central Noble coach Josh Treesh 2, Central Noble bench (all at 2:07, third quarter). Records: Whitko 19-6, Central Noble 18-7
