Falcons run past Panthers

Senior Emilie Leffin scored a career-high 24 points to help the Sheboygan Falls Falcons run past the Plymouth Panthers 69-54 in Eastern Wisconsin Conference girls basketball action Friday, Dec. 18, in Sheboygan Falls.

The Falcons used a combination of good defense and a fast-break offense to lead the game from the start to finish.

With the victory, Falls took over first place in the EWC, with a 3-0 record (4-0 overall). Plymouth fell to 1-2 in the EWC (2-3 overall).

“We just want to keep winning games,” said Falcons coach Leroy Hamilton. “We played well and we were able to break the Panthers trap-defense.”

The Falcons successfully broke Plymouth’s trap defense. Once the Falcons found the open player, it usually led to a score.

“We didn’t play well fundamentally,” said Panthers coach Brad Shutter. “They did a good job against our press. They’re a good team.”

The Falls defense forced 22 turnovers, which included 11 steals.

Junior Brooke Buehler had two steals and scores in the first quarter to push the Falcons ahead 8-2.

A 3-point shot from Panthers junior Ali Thompson cut the lead to 10-7, but that would be the close as Plymouth could get. Falls finished the quarter on a 13-4 run to take a 23-11 lead.

The Falcons scored six baskets off fast-break opportunities in the early going, as Leffin led the scoring with six points in the first period.

Panthers junior Kaitlyn Hoffman scored off a rebound, and a three-point play from junior Chrissy Perl cut the Falls lead to 25-16 early in the second quarter.

Falls answered with a 3-point shot from junior Cassie Quirt to push the lead back to 13 points.

The Falcons took a 39-27 lead into the halftime break. After two scores from senior Emily Cecka, Plymouth went cold to fall behind 43-31.

Falls then went on a 10-0 run, with a 3-pointer from Buehler and a three-point play from senior Lauren Carman to take a 53-31 lead.

Carman led the way, scoring five of 10 points, during the run.

The Panthers closed to within 55-37, with two straight baskets from freshman Rachel Cecka.

A trey from Hoffman and a basket from Emily Cecka brought Plymouth within 64-52, with three minutes left in the game.

Carman took over down the stretch, scoring twice in the final minutes to finish with 13 points on the night.

The Panthers kept Carman in check for most of the night. However, Leffin scored six points every quarter to pace the Falcons. Carman and Leffin had eight rebounds each.

Quirt added 11 points and six assists. Buehler finished with 11 points. “It’s about time I got into a groove,” said Leffin. “We had a lot of energy tonight.

“We were dancing in the locker room,” she said. “The team worked well together.”

“This team was fired up tonight,” remarked Carman. “Everybody played well. We remembered the win that Plymouth took here last season.”

Hoffman finished with 11 points, five rebounds and six assists. Amanda Gumm had 10 points to lead the Panthers, while Emily Cecka grabbed five rebounds.

Falls and Plymouth played to an exciting finish in the junior varsity game, as the Falcons tied the game in regulation and won 52-48 in overtime.

Falls improved ton1-2 in the EWC (2-2 overall) and Plymouth dropped to 1-2 in the EWC (2-3 overall).

Cassie Hammen of Falls connected on 3-of-4 free throws to seal the victory. Abby Grossen finished with 15 points to lead all scorers. Grossen hit a key 3-pointer and a field goal to give her team a 48-47 lead, with 41 seconds left in overtime.

The Falls freshman team blew out Plymouth 64-16 to move to 3-0 in the EWC (4-0 overall). Erica Duda led the team with 15 points. Nicole Fenner, Jensen Hamilton and Anna Matthews added 10 points each.

Score by Quarters Plymouth……………11 16 10 17 - 54 Sheboygan Falls….23 16 16 14 - 69

Plymouth scorers: Kaitlyn Hoffman 11, Amanda Gumm 10, Ali Thompson 9, Emily Cecka 8, Chrissy Perl 5, Rachael Cecka 5, Lizzie Stancyzk 4, Lizzy Rooker 2.

Sheboygan Falls scorers: Emilie Leffin 24, Lauren Carman 13, Cassie Quirt 11, Brooke Buehler 11, Alyse Hucke 6, Emily Thomack 3, Chelsea Powers 1.

Three point goals: Plymouth - Hoffman, Thompson, R.Cecka. Sheboygan Falls - Quirt 2, Buehler. Statistics: Plymouth - field goals 25-69 (37 percent), free throws 1-6 (17 percent), rebounds 27, turnovers 22. Sheboygan Falls - field goals 29-50 (58 percent), free throws 8-17 (47 percent) rebounds _______________________ 29, turnovers 10.