By Sue Moore
After the first quarter, the outcome of the Schoolcraft and Vicksburg girls’ basketball game was never in doubt. Each team played their hearts out, but the dynamic ball movement by the Eagles offense got it going in the second quarter with deadeye shots by Lydia Goble and Gabi Saxman on the wing for a 50 to 30 win. Others contributing points were Olivia Ingle 5, Kennedy Leighton 3, Chloe Outman 1.
Ana Schuppel (seven points) battled Nicola Hosner (10 points) under the basket all night for rebounds with both of them showing good power up the middle. With this big win over a neighboring Class B school, the Eagles have posted a 14-0 record. They will play six more games in February before the tournaments start, all of them with Class C teams.
Coach Steve Kulczyk said after the game that despite some inconsistencies at the offensive end of the floor, the defensive effort was solid throughout the game. “We pride ourselves on our defense and this has much to do with the success this team is experiencing.”
“We started the season with a very experienced backcourt, with Leighton having four years of varsity experience, Goble four years varsity and Saxman two years varsity. We were very young up front with none of our players having any varsity experience,” Kulczyk said. “Our guard trio of Leighton, Goble, and Saxman, helped carry the team until the younger players learned what it took to compete at the varsity level. Now that we are entering the last quarter of the regular season the younger players; specifically, the front-line players of Ingle, Outman, Rosey and Schuppel, have developed and are having a greater impact on our games. Through their development the team has become more complete and harder to defend. This teams work ethic is second to none. They come into the gym ready to work and they are very responsive to constructive criticism.”
They have had only one close game, against Bronson earlier in the season, coming away with a 62 to 61 win.