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Sports
Sports
IRON RIVER – The Lady Wykons took on the Menominee Maroons in a District Semi-final game on March 1. The Wykons entered the game with a 10 and 10 record while the Maroons stood at 8 and 14. In a previous meeting this season, the Wykons played one of their most competitive games of the year and took home a 45-42 victory.
With a trip to the District Championship (March 3) at stake, the excitement could not have been greater as the referee tossed the ball into the air and for a brief time anything was possible.
Menominee won the jump and quickly established a lead as the Maroon’s Anna Axtell scored 14 of her team’s 16 first quarter points and was all but unstoppable. The Wykons were on their heels as the first quarter ended with a five-point Menominee lead, 16-11.
West Iron’s Carli Guzowski put up six points in the second quarter to keep the Wykons within striking distance as the first half ended. The Wykons had closed the five-point deficit to one and headed into the locker room down 25-24.
The game stayed close as the teams’ traded baskets throughout the third quarter. Sidney Storti and Danica Shamion both found their shot and poured in four points apiece for the Wykons while the Maroon’s Gianna Gouti made eight of her team’s 12 third quarter points. The adjustments the Wykons made in their defense bogged down the Maroon’s Axtell as the team held her to just three points in the third quarter.
Over the course of the season the Wykons have consistently played their best in the fourth quarter. In close games they have found another gear in the final minutes and this game was no exception. As the game entered the final quarter, the Wykons had evolved their defense and their offense was finding its stride.
The Wykons Danica Shamion, Carli Guzowski, Calli Pellizzer, Sidney Storti and Kaitlyn Smith picked up the tempo of the game. The defense was tenacious, pressing the ball and fighting for every rebound. The offense, led by Kaitlyn Smith’s two critical three pointers, led the Wykons as they hit three from behind the arc.
The Wykons methodically wore down their opponent, took their first lead of the game and didn’t look back. Once again, as the game was on the line and in the final minutes, the Wykons made a bid for victory and it paid off. The Wykons scored 23 fourth quarter points to the Maroon’s 12.
As the horn sounded to end the game, the scoreboard read Wykons 59 Maroons 50. Coach Eric Shamion’s Wykons were heading to the District Championship!
The mild mannered, dedicated coach of the Wykons, Eric Shamion, was thrilled with the team’s effort, “I was very pleased with our effort in the second half!”