PHS coach happy with season

PLYMOUTH – Fine team play on both ends of the court paid dividends for a young Plymouth girls basketball team that finished the 2009-10 season strong.

Despite not having any returning starters and having only two seniors, head coach Brad Shutter’s Panthers tied for third in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference with a 9-5 mark and posted a 14-10 overall record.

“I thought we had a good overall season. Were up a down a little but when you have a young team, you can expect that,” Shutter said.

“We did not quite meet our goals but 14 wins and third place in the conference is nothing to be ashamed of.

“I was proud of the fact that we were second in the conference in team offense, third in team defense and tied for first in team free-throw percentage,” he said.

Shutter noted the keys to the team’s strong campaign:

“Overall team play. We were very balanced on offense. I thought we were good defensively as well – both in our man-to-man and our 1-3-1 half-court trap.”

Shutter said the season’s highlights were defeating Division 3 state runner-up Oostburg and having two All-EWC second-team players in senior guard Amanda Gumm and senior forward Emily Cecka.

The coach commented on each of his players.

“Amanda did a wonderful job at the point and was clutch at the free-throw line late in games,” he recalled.

“Lizzy is great defender. It’s hard to believe she is only a sophomore.

“Kaitlyn Hoffmann is a great shooter. She was our best offensive player this year and tough at the top of the 1-3-1 zone.

“Chrissy Perl had some big games this season. “Emily Cecka was a senior leader and our best rebounder. We will miss her leadership next season. “Ali Thompson was instant offense off the bench. She is an excellent three-point shooter. “Rachael Cecka had a good freshman season. Her future is bright. “Lizzie Rooker is a great defender and a tough, hard-nosed player.

“Lindsey Mauk made the most of her minutes coming in for Emily and Chrissy.

“Hannah Ruetten did not get a lot of minutes but pushed the starters hard in practice and played well when she got her opportunities,” Shutter said.

He thanked his assistant coaches, Mike Gumm and Angie Wachter, for their help, and the parents and booster club for their support of the team this past season.

“I was proud of the girls. They worked hard and were fun to work with this season,” Shutter said.

Each of the players earned varsity letters. Awards were given to the Panthers’ leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, three-point goals and free-throw shooting. Hoffmann hit a team-high 24 treys. Gumm led in free-throw accuracy with 75.6 percent (90 of 119).
FINAL PLYMOUTH GIRLS
BASKETBALL STATISTICS
Scoring Leaders
Pts. Avg.
Kaitlyn Hoffmann….………………224 9.3
Amanda Gumm…….……….………199 8.3
Rebounding Leaders
No. Avg.
Emily Cecka………….…..………....171 7.1
Chrissy Perl…….…………………....134 5.6
Steal Leaders
No. Avg.
Hoffmann…………………..…………..53 2.2
Gumm…...……………………………….49 2.0
Assist Leaders
No. Avg.
Gumm…………………..………………..65 2.7
Cecka……………………....…………….42 1.8
Lizzy Stanczyk…....………….…,,,….42 _1_.8_________________________