The winning combination behind an undefeated start for Wellington girls basketball team
The Wellington girls basketball team is off to a 10-0 start to the season with a roster of mostly freshmen and sophomores.
Their ages may suggest inexperience, but Wellington coach Eric Adams says that’s anything but the case.
“It says nine and 10 next to their names on the roster, but they’ve played so much basketball in their lives, are they really freshmen and sophomores?” Adams said. “Probably not. All of these girls seem like they’re in the gym 12 months out of the year and they’re showing they’re wise beyond their years.”
Wellington passed its biggest test of the season so far on Friday in a 44-34 win over Andale in a battle of undefeated teams ranked No. 4 and No. 6 in Class 4A. Even though Andale played without McKenzie Fairchild, its star player who sprained her ankle in the first minute of the game, the game still came down to the final minutes with Wellington needing to execute to escape with a victory.
After last year’s team reached the state tournament with an unblemished record, only to leave with two losses and a fourth-place finish, Adams says this group is more motivated than ever to leave its mark.
“Last year was a wonderful, great year, but we left the state tournament with a sour taste in our mouths,” Adams said. “We knew in June and July at our team camp that this was a special group. They’ve been working hard because they do want to take that next step in Salina.”
Wellington’s three leading scorers are underclassmen, as sophomores Britt Zeka, a 5-foot-10 wing, and Val Norwood, a 5-8 point guard, combine for nearly 30 points per game and 6-foot freshman post Kylan Gregory is averaging close to a double-double (12 points, nine rebounds).
While the younger players carry the offensive load, the team’s three seniors, Ashlyn Gerten, Kami Reichenberger and Maddie Nance, spearhead the defense. What Gerten (5-6) and Reichenberger (5-5) lack in size, they make up for in heart, determination and effort. They are a pair of pests, hounding ball handlers into turnovers and causing havoc with their speed in Wellington’s run-and-jump press. Their work isn’t as flashy as scoring points, but they are superb in their roles and Wellington benefits from having such a well-balanced team.
While other teams have multi-sport athletes who play basketball in the winter, Adams feels blessed as a coach to have a group of mostly basketball players who just so happen to be multi-sport athletes.
Wellington’s chemistry is obvious on the court. The players move the ball with a purpose and they often turn down good shots to upgrade to a great shot for an even more open teammate.
“It allows the practices to go pretty smoothly,” Adams said. “We have a high basketball IQ team, which allows us to do some things that maybe some other teams with mostly freshmen and sophomores probably couldn’t run. We run a read-and-react offense and there’s a lot to it, but the girls understand because they’ve all been playing basketball for so long.”
Wichita-area high school basketball scores
Boys
Bishop Carroll 73, North 48
Heights 71, West 44
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 69, Northwest 41
South 65, East 55
Hutchinson 69, Great Bend 53
Maize 64, Newton 51
Maize South 54, Campus 42
Andover 72, Salina South 42
Andover Central 55, Arkansas City 37
Eisenhower 54, Goddard 48
Valley Center 58, Salina Central 41
Augusta 60, Winfield 44
Circle 59, Buhler 48
McPherson 71, Mulvane 48
Collegiate 76, Clearwater 38
Rose Hill 65, El Dorado 46
Wellington 52, Andale 48
Cheney 67, Kingman 49
Independent 53, Conway Springs 41
Medicine Lodge 57, Garden Plain 54
Trinity Academy 52, Chaparral 51
Haven 63, Nickerson 25
Hesston 71, Lyons 28
Pratt 58, Hillsboro 49
Smoky Valley 71, Larned 46
Bennington 51, Berean Academy 34
Inman 71, Marion 31
Remington 67, Moundridge 62
Canton-Galva 53, Goessel 52
Central-Burden 72, Oxford 70
Cunningham 53, South Barber 51
Norwich 55, Pretty Prairie 41
Pratt Skyline 65, Fairfield 51
Stafford 39, Hutchinson Central Christian 31
West Elk 59, Argonia 53
Girls
Bishop Carroll 56, North 16
Northwest 58, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 54
South 67, East 55
Hutchinson 45, Great Bend 32
Maize South 68, Campus 19
Newton 34, Maize 25
Andover 58, Salina South 28
Andover Central 54, Arkansas City 34
Eisenhower 39, Goddard 24
Valley Center 40, Salina Central 36
Augusta 28, WInfield 19
Circle 38, Buhler 37
McPherson 60, Mulvane 30
Clearwater 53, Collegiate 14
Rose Hill 34, El Dorado 25
Wellington 44, Andale 34
Cheney 58, Kingman 27
Douglass 40, Belle Plaine 33
Garden Plain 55, Medicine Lodge 26
Independent 57, Conway Springs 41
Trinity Academy 43, Chaparral 39
Haven 56, Nickerson 52 (2 OT)
Hesston 59, Lyons 39
Hillsboro 48, Pratt 47 (2 OT)
Smoky Valley 50, Larned 44
Berean Academy 50, Bennington 30
Inman 53, Marion 17
Remington 42, Moundridge 31
Sedgwick 37, Ell-Saline 35
Canton-Galva 66, Goessel 41
Fairfield 39, Pratt Skyline 29
Little River 55, Rural Vista 23
South Barber 41, Cunningham 19
