Lady Demons enter playoffs on five-game win streak
By Jason Arndt
And Mike Ramczyk
With a second consecutive Southern Lakes Conference title at stake, the Wilmot Union High School girls basketball team had history on its side at Thursday at Burlington, but the outcome was unlike its first meeting of the season when the Panthers won 53-46.
Entering play, the Demons dropped three straight games against the Panthers, who opened the game with a 19-13 run before Burlington found momentum that propelled them to a 59-53 win against Wilmot.
The different outcome, according to Demons’ coach Mary Parker, boiled down to simple factors.
“We were finishing, we didn’t finish as well the first time,” said Parker. “Our defense, we had the same game plan going in, but we just executed a little bit better with our trapping and our ball screens.”
It was a memorable Senior Night for the Demons, who finish the regular season with their fifth straight victory.
Burlington finished the SLC season at 10-4, good for third place behind Union Grove (12-2) and Wilmot (11-3). The Lady Demons own a win apiece over the Grove and Wilmot.
Senior guard Ashlyn Barry, who tallied three assists and four rebounds, said the Demons know they can beat anyone and have nothing to lose, with a playoff opener looming Friday at home against Milton.
“I think the key to our victory was maintaining our composure over Wilmot’s intense defense,” Barry said. “It was a big game and we had a lot of people step up, like Amelia Crabtree. We respect Wilmot a lot because they are such a great team, but this win proves that we can play with anyone.”
Crabtree, a freshman, provided two steals off the bench. Senior Adeline Jachim said it took a complete effort to get the job done.
“It was a huge win for us,” Jachim said. “The last time we played them, we had a few things we needed to clean up and we succeeded this time around. Everyone was in the game the whole 36 minutes of the game. We worked as a team and executed what we needed to do. From the moment we stepped in the gym.”
Sjong, Zenon hot early
Panthers’ coach Keiya Square said the Panthers faced the difficult decision of how to defend Demons’ post players Jessa Burling and Megan Wallace.
Wallace, a senior, contributed a game-high 13 points and pulled in nine rebounds, which had been matched by Burling, who knocked in 11.
“It wasn’t anything that they did that wasn’t done before,” Square said. “They were just really hard hedging our screens that we work on all of the time.”
Early in the contest, the Panthers’ post presence of 5-foot-10 senior Delaney Sjong and 5-11 junior Morgan Zenon shouldered the load, producing a combined 12 points in Wilmot’s 19-13 start.
Zenon finished with 10 points and collected six rebounds while Sjong pulled down eight rebounds and contributed seven points.
However, Burlington countered both Zenon and Sjong with the duo of junior Jessa Burling and senior Megan Wallace, who minimized the Panthers’ scoring opportunities the rest of the contest.
Following a Panthers’ McKenna Stanek 3-pointer, putting Wilmot ahead 19-13, Burling pounded the inside lane to draw a foul, which led to back-to-back free throws.
The free throws sparked a 9-2 Burlington run, which gave them a 22-21 edge entering the second half, where Burling and Wallace took control of the contest.
Demons surge in second half
Burling started the second half with a bucket, followed by a Mackenzie Zwiebel 3-pointer and Wallace bucket to give the Demons a 29-21 edge.
After both teams traded buckets, Stanek added a baseline jumper for Wilmot to diminish the Demons’ lead to 31-25.
But, Burling and Wallace responded with back-to-back buckets in the paint, giving them a 35-25 lead.
Later, with the Demons ahead 44-34, the Panthers made a late push to pull the game within three points, courtesy of four Sjong points and a freshman Julie Hickey 3-pointer.
Despite a late push, the Demons’ offense took advantage of a hesitant Panthers’ defense.
“We recognized that some of their girls were playing really far off,” said Parker, whose team held the Panthers to two points the last three minutes.
According to Square, the Panthers’ defense was trying to anticipate Burling and Wallace.
“It was one of those things where they got the caliber of players, Burling and Wallace, a lot of those times, they are the ones going after the ball,” he said. “They are quick off the dribble, so if we get to them close, they are going to get a layup.”
Title hopes dashed
With a Union Grove win against Waterford, the Panthers’ loss pushed them to second place in the SLC at 11-3 (14-7 overall).
Square, who acknowledged the loss hurts, said the Panthers have to enter the WIAA Division 2 postseason with a rejuvenated spirit.
“We got to make sure we bounce back, because we are the No. 2 seed in the playoffs,” said Square. “The teams we are going to be playing are going to be really good.”
For Parker, playing the role of conference spoiler was the last item on the Demons’ agenda, stating they capped off the regular season with a winning streak.
“We were really focusing on keeping our run going heading into the tournament, we had a win streak going,” said Parker, whose team finished third in the SLC at 10-4 (13-9 overall).
“We knew it was going to be a tough test going against the No. 2 team and we just wanted to keep our momentum going more than anything else.”
Zwiebel finished with 11 points, including six from the arc for the Demons.
Stanek contributed seven points for the Panthers.
Confidence sky high entering postseason
For seniors Zwiebel, Barry, Wallace and Jachim, it was a strong finish to an impressive journey.
The first graduating class of players under Parker, the foursome is responsible for Parker’s best record as Burlington head coach and the highest finish in the SLC standings.
On Facebook after the game, Parker posted about her admiration for the girls who have been with her for four years.
“Your effort, leadership, and determination is unmatched!,” she said. “I love all of you and will always have your back! Let’s keep this going!”
Jachim said it will take a complete game to knock off Milton, but a win like this means the Demons are more than capable.
“The confidence and excitement I have is overwhelming in our team,” Jachim said. “We need to keep our heads in the game for all 36 minutes. We are more than capable of taking it to Milton and advancing on in playoffs. The fight we had in our game tonight will help carry us into the playoffs and be successful.”
Barry concurred with Jachim, noting the team’s athleticism will help players continue to get to the basket and threaten defenses in the paint.
“Going into the playoffs we need to keep our intensity and stick to out style of play,” Barry said. “We rely on our athletic ability and getting to the basket. And this gives us a lot of confidence. We know we can beat anyone and have nothing to lose. Now it’s time to see how far we can go.”
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