Oshkosh West holds off Appleton North

APPLETON - Last year, when Oshkosh West reached the Division 1 girls state basketball tournament the Wildcats were led by veteran players who had multiple years of experience.

That experience mixed in with younger players worked well for the Wildcats, who lost to eventual state champion De Pere in the state semifinals.

This year, West’s experience is limited – only two players return from last year’s team that logged major minutes. Therefore, at least at the start of this season West was going to experience ups and downs.

Entering Friday’s Fox Valley Association game against Appleton North, West was 4-4, but on a down, riding a two-game losing streak. West, however, changed that down to an up as the Wildcats persevered and held on to beat the Lightning, 30-28.

“It’s a really big win for the team,” West junior Alison Panske said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, but overall I think we have a good chemistry.”

West (5-4, 5-2) has been an FVA contender year in and year out because of its defense and Friday the defense was sensational. The Wildcats led 18-17 at halftime, but allowed just three second-half field goals.

“Two points we held them to in the third quarter and stopped them on 16 of 17 possessions, so it was key,” West coach Niki Sutter said. “We weren’t doing anything offensively, so we needed to rely on our defense.”

West built a 28-19 lead and it could’ve been more if not for a handful misses inside the lane. Those misses explain why Sutter says the offense has a long way to go.

“We need to get better,” she said. “I think there was four minutes left in the (fourth) quarter and we didn’t tell them to stop looking to score. They waited for something to happen instead of making something happen. That’s youth and inexperience.”

North rallied with West’s offense struggling but the West defense stood tall at the end.

North had the ball with 11 seconds to play with a chance to win or tie the game. West’s defense, however, stymied the Lightning with Panske stealing the ball just before time expired.

“We try to win games with our defense,” Panske said. “We know we’re not that good of an offensive team. We don’t like those turnovers … as long as our defense is strong.”

Good thing the defense was stout because West’s most experienced players, Deidra Unger and Marina Hereford, each made one free throw, that’s it. Nonetheless, Panske added nine points.

“I’ve never been the top scorer before, so I’m OK with that,” Panske said.

West’s bench added 10 points and that was big.

“By committee,” Sutter said of how her team will succeed on offense. “Kids came off the bench and played really well for us.

Sutter hopes Friday’s win against North can be a stepping stone for a young team trying to find some consistency.

“I hope so,” Sutter said. “(To win) here on the road and they just knocked off Oshkosh North (by 18 points) and gave Kimberly as tough game.

“Every night in the FVA is a dogfight.”

And Friday, West had enough fight to survive.

• 3-pointers: North’s Meg Riebau led all scorers with 10 points, but only scored two in the second half. … The teams combined to make 11 of 28 free throws (39.3 percent). … West has won the last four games against North, including a postseason contest last season.
• Game ball: Panske, who was solid on offense and made the big defensive play to end the game.
• Numbers game: 23 Total points were scored in the second half.

OSHKOSH WEST 30, APPLETON NORTH 28
Oshkosh West……9  9  7  5  —  30
Appleton North…..11  6  2  9  —  28

Oshkosh West (5-4, 5-2): Rachel Christopherson 6, Marina Hereford 1, Deidra Unger 1, Bailey Schultz 3, Alison Panske 9, Marissa Edwards 4, Lena Wells 3, Jamie Schmidt 3. Totals: 12 5-13 30. 3-pointers: Schultz 1. Fouls: 16.
Appleton North (5-4, 4-3): Matayla Springstroh 3, Meg Riebau 10, Mackenzie Greisch 9, Genna Martin 4, Claire VanHandel 2. Totals: 11 6-15 28. 3-pointers: None. Fouls: 14.

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

doug.ritchay@wluk.com