Pioneers hold off Rock Island
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Shannon Heaton | Monday, December 17, 2007 |
Rock Island’s Megan Sheley looks to get the ball past Alleman’s Katie McLaughlin during their game at Don Morris Gym on Thursday. (Talya C. Arbisser/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo
Staying on top of the Western Big Six Conference girls basketball standings occasionally means winning under less than ideal circumstances.
Thursday night at Don Morris Gym, Alleman overcame a significant rebounding disadvantage, occasional too-quick shot selection and a dominating second quarter from Rock Island center Jackie Wehrle, as the Pioneers held off the Rocks, 53-44.
Alleman (9-1 overall) moves to 4-0 in the Big Six, remaining tied with Moline — who knocked off Galesburg on Thursday night — for first in the league standings. The Pioneers and Maroons kick off 2008 with a date Jan. 3 at Moline’s Wharton Field House.
“We’re excited, but we didn’t play our best,” said Alleman senior guard Mollie Yeargle. “We’re not down, but we’re not extremely happy. We know we could do better.”
The Pioneers’ 23-point effort in the second quarter was an example of what Yeargle meant. Alleman put together the right chemistry, mixing perimeter play with effective slashes to the basket to open up an 11-point halftime lead (37-26). Yeargle was 8-for-8 at the foul line in that period, which contributed to a 14-point first half.
“We settled in and tried to control the ball more, so we weren’t playing defense the whole time,” Yeargle said. “We were more under control, not trying to look for the first wide-open shot.”
Alleman might have opened up an overwhelming lead early if not for the play of Wehrle, who came off the bench and scored 17 first-half points, 13 coming in the second quarter for Rock Island (3-6, 1-3 Big 6).
“She’s starting to show some real flashes, starting to take a leadership role,” Rocks coach Rod Leatherman said of Wehrle. “She’s such an emotional girl, so we let her see the game (from the bench at the start) and let her get a feel of it, then have her go in.”
The Pioneers did limit Wehrle to two points in the second half, though. “We didn’t change anything,” said Alleman coach Jay Hatch. “We did a better job, though. In the first half, we were not even close to her sometimes.
“We’re not going to shut her out; she’s going to score her points.”
Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or e-mail sports@qctimes.com
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
redditMore Stories By Shannon Heaton
» More Varsity Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Technology News Articles
- Computers, MP3, Phones & More. See Product Pics, Specs & Reviews.
- www.NexTag.com
- 2008 Diet Of The Year:
- Finally, A Diet That Really Works! Seen On CNN, NBC, CBS & Fox News.
- www.Wu-YiSource.com
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
