Stettler’s senior girls basketball team came from behind to defeat the Lacombe Rams in a close game at home last week.
The girls from William E. Hay Composite High School hosted the Rams on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 3, falling behind in the first couple of quarters.
Though the score sat at 25-18 for the Rams at the halfway mark, the Wildcats’ defense kept the gap narrow, and by the end of third quarter they had caught up, ending with a score of 35-34.
The Rams kept the Wildcats on their toes, but Stettler ultimately prevailed with a 52-47 win.
“I thought it was a good team effort,” coach Charisse McDonald said, adding that she was pleased at how the Wildcats pressed despite the Rams’ “relentless” push.
Dacia Gramlick was the team’s top scorer with 25 points. McDonald remarked that it was one of Gramlick’s better games, given that many of her baskets were scored from beyond the key, as opposed to layups.
“It makes a huge difference when you can make the defense play the whole court and not just in the key,” she said, also observing that the Rams lacked a strong ball-handler.
Dagmar Lohmann Ochoa scored seven points while Brooke Clark and Morgan VanDusen contributed six points each.
Senior boys
Stettler’s senior boys team also hosted Lacombe on Tuesday, facing a similarly tight match but falling just short at the final buzzer with a 58-57 loss.
After a close first quarter, Stettler led for most of the game, achieving a seven-point gap with a score of 48-41 at the end of period three. But a string of three-point shots brought the Rams within striking distance.
“That just seemed to deflate us, and then put us back on our heels,” said coach Warren Aspenes.
Stettler was one point behind as the game’s final seconds ticked down. Kyle Poapst was fouled with less than a second remaining but did not connect with his free shots, and Lacombe ended the game with the narrowest of victories.
“He did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Aspenes said in Poapst’s defense. “He was the guy that we wanted to have the ball.”
Aspenes also said the game shouldn’t have ended as closely as it did, adding that the Wildcats’ offense were still giving away too many turnovers and missing opportunities to score.
He noted that he was pleased with his team’s defensive efforts, calling it a tough loss and adding, “We’ll learn from it.”
Aspenes also noted that the team would need to achieve some wins in the few remaining games to earn a spot in the upcoming playoffs.
Jordan Lane led the scoring for Stettler with 14 points, followed by Poapst at 13 points and Will Hall with 10 points.
Up next
Both teams were scheduled to play in Sylvan Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 10, then attend a tournament in Lacombe on the February long weekend.
All remaining league games for both teams will be away games, but the senior teams will also host a home tournament on the weekend of Feb. 20 and 21.