DE PERE (NBC 26) — The West De Pere girls basketball team rolled past Lakeland Union on Saturday morning, defeating the Thunderbirds 43-30.
The Phantoms jumped out to a 25-3 lead to start the game, with Faith Walder and Madisyn Berggren combining for 12 points.
However, Lakeland held West De Pere scoreless for the final eight minutes of the first half, closing the half on a 6-0 run.
Lakeland started the second half strong, getting within 11 points.
Alexa Rattray ended the scoring drought for West De Pere with a three-pointer from the top of the key.
From there, the Phantoms’ offense regained momentum to secure the 43-30 victory.
Senior guard Faith Walder led West De Pere with 11 points. Mia Racine, Madisyn Berggren, and Ella Francois each added eight.
UW-Green Bay basketball commit Kristina Ouimette led the way for the Thunderbirds with 15 points.
West De Pere Head Coach Chris Abaray was happy with the way his team guarded Ouimette.
"Holding her to 15 today was the biggest thing for us," Abaray said. "I wasn't sure we'd be able to hold her to anything—maybe her average. This is a kid who went off for 49 a couple of weeks ago. It's always hard to guard kids like that. I'm really proud of our girls."
Abaray credited Lakeland's defense for making adjustments and holding his team scoreless for an extended period.
"They got a little tighter on the perimeter," Abaray said. "Their size bothered us a little bit. It was hard to make skip passes against them. We got some better middle touches in the second half. And that was really what helped us clear it."
West De Pere entered this game averaging over 75 points per game. Abaray said this game taught his team to be patient.
"I thought in the middle of the game we kind of started forcing a little bit, and maybe our feet weren't set as much on shots," Abaray said. "But I do think the girls did a great job dialing in and making some adjustments as the game went on. They adjusted their zone. We had to adjust to it."
Senior guard Faith Walder said West De Pere has been successful because of their depth.
"I think it is definitely having a wide variety of players who can knock down the three and can do a lot of on offense," Walder said. "Knowing that we can all build off of each other and work and anyone can get hot at any time really helps us."
West De Pere will be back in action on Tuesday against New London.
