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One game at a time — that is the perspective the Woodmore girls’ basketball team has taken.
Thus far, it has worked well.
Despite the fact that league play has yet to hit the halfway point, the Wildcats are 6-4 overall and have a perfect 4-0 mark in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
Following their 1-2 start, the Wildcats, who were picked to finish fourth in the conference, went on a tear, winning five consecutive games. The start was highlighted by a dramatic, come-from-behind 39-35 victory at Rossford on Dec. 2. Their four other wins during the streak against Otsego (50-41), Gibsonburg (50-34), Eastwood (54-37) and Fostoria (60-21) were done in convincing fashion as they outscored opponents by a combined 81 points — over 20 points per game.
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Woodmore senior Kalyn Tate lays up for
two points in the Wildcats 50-34 victory
over Gibsonburg. (Press photo by Dean
utendorf/WoodmorePhotos.com |
“In that five-game winning streak,” said shooting guard Kalyn Tate, “we figured out what was working for us.”
The team, which returns just three letter winners, has a starting five of Brittany Wolford (point guard), Tate and Andrea Bouldin (wings) and Allie Wank and Katy Avers (post) while the bench features the likes of Leah Bench (wing), MacKenzie Johnson (post), Morgan Rife (post) and Shannon O’Connor (point guard).
It is their three perimeter-oriented starters, Bouldin (5-10), Tate (5-7) and Wolford (5-7), who supply the bulk of the scoring punch. Bouldin leads the well-balanced attack with 9.3 points, following by Tate (8.6) and Wolford (8.3). They’ve had to fill the scoring void left by the graduation of several players, among them center Audrey Thorbahn, who was a first-team Suburban Lakes League selection last season.
Bouldin, Tate and Wolford, all seniors, are the only returning letter winners from a team that won 13 games last season and finished in third place in the now-defunct SLL.
Offensively, the team uses a combination of penetration, keyed by Bouldin, and outside shooting, specifically from Tate and Wolford, to create opportunities for itself.
“Tate and Wolford have been very efficient from the perimeter,” said Coach Kyle Clair, now in his fourth season at his alma mater. “All of them (including Bouldin) have great range and are capable of hitting the three.”
The balance on offense has allowed the team to rely not just on one or two players, thus relieving some pressure.
“If someone is not hitting one night,” said Clair, “someone will pick them up.”
Wank (5-10), who is averaging 6.1 points, is holding down her spot in the post with Avers (5-10), as the two are averaging 6.1 and 4.2 rebounds, respectively. Bouldin has chipped in as well, averaging 3.9 rebounds.
Defensively, the team likes to mix things up, playing a combination of man-to-man and zone defense.
“We’ve done a little bit of both. Some games we’ve played the zone, played man, gone back and forth — it just depends on the situation we’re in,” said Clair. “We use the abilities to the best that we can. I like being able to go with both styles.”
Wolford notes that their zone defense has caused problems for opponents.
“Our 3-2 (zone) defense is our bread and butter,” said Wolford.
Clair touched upon Woodmore’s early-season struggles, which included losses to Port Clinton (38-30) and New Reigel (47-35) in two of the first three games.
“The first three games, we struggled offensively,” said Clark. “We were averaging less than 35 points per game and it seemed like we were getting great looks and the shots weren’t falling. The frustration carried over for the first three games. We found our spark in the second half of the Rossford game. We went to some of the basic offenses that our kids are familiar with. It seemed to be at that point that we fell into a groove.”
Clair believes the key to success for the ‘Cats comes down to three basic principles: (1) keeping turnovers low, (2) winning the rebounding battle and (3) making at least 70 percent of their free throws.
On top of that, the team’s goals are simple, but lofty: win the league championship, improve on last year’s 13 wins and advance further into the tournament. The Wildcats fell in the Division III sectional final last year to Margaretta, 36-32.
To achieve those goals, Clair says the team must continue to remain focused and maintain sound team chemistry.
“With the way the girls operate and the way they are around each other, we make sure they have good chemistry with each other,” said Clair. “They realize that this will make the team go further.”
Bouldin said, “The chemistry is amazing. It’s something that we haven’t had that much of in previous years. This year, we pretty much get along.”
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