By Travis Smola
The Vicksburg varsity girls’ basketball team lost its second match-up of the year against rival Three Rivers 57-42 on its home court to bring its record to 9-9.
“The final was rough, but I think we played pretty hard against a pretty good team,” Head Coach Tim Kirby said. “They just made more shots down the stretch than we did.”
The game was marked by the Wildcats’ very physical style of play. That style is something the Lady Bulldogs have had trouble adjusting to all year. But Kirby felt they handled it better this second go-around with the Wildcats.
“I think Three Rivers intimidated us the first time that we played. It didn’t feel like we were intimidated tonight,” Kirby said.
The leading scorer of the night for the Lady Bulldogs was senior Madeleine Geiger, who put up 15 points. Sophomore Hannah Vallier wasn’t far behind with 11 of her own.
Fellow sophomore Chloe Hatridge had five. Junior Kelsey Diekman had four. Senior Abbey Laffler had three points. Sophomore Brady Brown and junior Sydney Finos each had two.
The game marked the end of a rough three-game stretch in which the team also lost games against Edwardsburg and Niles-Brandywine. Kirby noted that both of those teams are ranked high in the state. Overall, Kirby is pleased with how the season has progressed. He feels they just need to get over the hump of beating some of the more talented teams they face on the schedule.
“I’m proud of my girls for how hard they fought tonight,” Kirby said. “I think we’re taking steps in the right direction to get that way. We didn’t back down from them.”