Poor shooting plagues Panthers

PLYMOUTH – A lack of intensity in the first half and horrendous shooting proved to be the Plymouth Panthers’ downfall as they stumbled, 38-25, against Kewaskum in a crucial girls basketball game here Thursday night.

It was a battle for sole possession of second place in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference. The Indians, who improved to 7-2 in the EWC (10-5 overall), came out of the gates much stronger than PHS which dug itself an 18-2 hole in the second quarter.

The Panthers, who had a six-game winning streak halted, fell to third in the EWC at 6-3 (9-7 overall).

“We didn’t come out fired up which was very disappointing. They had something to prove,” said Panther head coach Brad Shutter.

“They wanted it more than we did in the first half. We didn’t match their intensity.”

Shutter was frustrated with the Panthers’ poor shooting night but even more frustrated with the team’s lack of competitiveness.

“We came out in the second half and played better, and played hard. We got the ball inside and got good looks,” he said.

The Panthers missed several close-range shots and ended up hitting a season-low 21 percent (8 of 39) from the field. PHS was only 1-for-14 from three-point range. Kewaskum shot a solid 50 percent (13 of 26) from the floor.

In the opening period, the quick, scrappy Kewaskum squad outhustled PHS on offense, defense and on the boards, and had the Panthers back on their heels. Senior center Jenna Buker keyed the Indians’ offense in the quarter with six points on two layups, including one after Kewaskum broke Plymouth’s full-court press, and a rebound basket.

The Panthers finally got the goose egg off the scoreboard when Emily Cecka hit a perimeter shot with 43 seconds left in the opening quarter. PHS trailed 12-2 after one period.

PHS, which trailed the entire game, continued to struggle on offense in the second period but the defense kicked into gear and forced six turnovers because of good pressure. Ali Thompson had two steals for PHS in the quarter.

The Panthers fell behind 18-2 after Erica Rammer’s follow-up basket at the 6:55 mark in the second period. PHS cut the deficit to 18-6 at halftime on Kaitlyn Hoffmann’s outside shot and Cecka’s layup. PHS was 0-for-7 at the foul line in the first half and just 8-for-19 for the game.

A much-more aggressive, quicker Panther team clawed its way back into the game in the third quarter. After Kewaskum upped its lead to 20-6 on Buker’s layup with 7:40 left, PHS went on an 11-0 tear to shave the deficit to 20-15 at the 2:30 mark.

The Panthers’ pressing, trapping defense played a key role during the rally as it caused five turnovers. Cecka, a senior center, ignited her team’s attack during the run with eight points. PHS did a nice job of passing the ball inside to Cecka who hit two layups and drew fouls that resulted in four made free throws.

Junior guard Amanda Gumm capped off the spurt when she banked in a nifty shot on a driving, twisting move through the lane.

The Panthers pounded the boards much better in the second half but missed several shots inside, including some put-back opportunities. PHS was unable to come closer than five points the rest of the game as its shooting never came around.

Cecka led PHS in scoring with 15 points and rebounds, nine. She ripped down an excellent six offensive boards. Chrissy Perl had seven rebounds.

Thompson paced PHS in steals with three. Perl and Lizzy Stanczyk had a team-high two assists apiece.

“Emily really played hard,” Shutter pointed out.

“We took care of the ball and forced them into 23 turnovers [actually 19]. Our 1-3-1 zone bothered them.

“We couldn’t afford to lose this one. It was a key loss,” Shutter said.

Haley Rauch and Buker keyed the Indians’ scoring with 11 and 10, respectively.

“We played very well overall. I was pleased with how patient we were on offense,” said Indian head coach Mike Kleinhans.

“This is a big win. Our senior leadership was a big key.” Senior guard Anna Butler paced Kewaskum in rebounding with nine, steals, four and assists, four.

JV GAME

Freshman guard Sophia Kiela popped in a season-high 21 points to spark the Panthers to a 50-26 runaway in the junior varsity contest.

PHS shot a blistering 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field and the defense was stingy as the Panthers built a 37-13 halftime bulge.

“We played a great first half – both offensively and defensively. I was pleased with our performance tonight,” said Panther coach Mike Gumm whose team improved to 6-3 in the EWC (11-5 overall).

Jenni Rathsack contributed 10 points for PHS. Kiela also led in steals with four and tied for first in assists with Marissa Grapentine and Rachel Holzhaeuser at three each.

Holzhaeuser had a team-high seven boards. The Panthers’ defense forced 22 turnovers.

GIRLS
BASKETBALL
KEWASKUM 38
PLYMOUTH	25

Score by Quarters
Kewaskum..……………..12 6 6 14 – 38
Plymouth…………………..2 4 11 8 – 25
Kewaskum scoring: Erica Rammer 2, Elissa Miller 6, Anna Butler 7, Haylie Hansen 2, Jenna Buker 10, Haley Rauch
11.
Plymouth scoring: Kaitlyn Hoffmann 7, Amanda Gumm 3, Emily Cecka 15.
Three-point goals: Hoffmann 1.
Field goals: Kewaskum 13-26, 50%; Plymouth 8-39, 21%. Free throws: Kewaskum 12-19, 63%. Plymouth 8-19,
42%.
Rebounds: Kewaskum 30, Plymouth 31. Turnovers: Kewaskum ___________________________ 19, Plymouth 13.