WHITTEMORE – Bouncing back after having its three-game winning streak snapped the game before with a 32-23 loss to Lincoln Alcona, the Whittemore-Prescott girls basketball team throttled non-conference opponent Midland Calvary Baptist, 55-37 at home last Thursday.
The Cardinals had their offense in gear right from the start against Calvary Baptist, and their defense was stingy as they opened the game with a 16-9 lead after the first quarter.
A 15-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter gave the Cardinals a 16-point, 31-15 halftime cushion. The Cardinals outscored Calvary Baptist, 16-7 in the third period to expand their lead to 25 points, 47-22 going into the fourth quarter.
Laila Bell had a big night for the Cardinals with 29 points. She made three, 3-point shots and was 6 of 8 at the free throw line. Cheyenne Lewis tossed in 12, with a pair of treys. Skylar Swanson added eight, while Americus Caron, Levi Hart and Sarah Santiago added two each.
“Something I’ve been talking to Laila about all year is getting to the free throw line more often,” Cardinals’ head coach Jayme Nickell said. “She’s being more aggressive. She came out hot and only got hotter. She was looking for her shots.
“Against Alcona, she had a rough night shooting. She came back with a vengeance. Cheyenne Lewis stepped up and had her season high. We played great.
“We had a lot of ball movement, a lot of people movement. It was the opposite of the way we played against Alcona. It was great to see us make that adjustment, and learn from our loss.”
Nickell says the Cardinals are a small, active team with not one player over 5-foot-7.
The Cardinals are just pedal to the metal the whole game, throwing a full-court press on defense and get after it. They forced a lot of turnovers against Calvary Baptist.
Swanson had six points to lead the Cardinals in the loss to Alcona. Bell struggled, as the coach noted, and finished with just five points. Lewis and Mckenzie Broughton had four each while Hart and Santiago each added two.
The Cardinals are idle now until Wednesday, Jan. 9 when they will travel to Tawas and then return home for a North Star League Big Dipper contest against Mio on Friday, Jan. 11.
