Reiff, Whitko Ready For Valley Rematch
SYRACUSE – The other half of the equation at the Wawasee Girls Basketball Sectional would be whether Wawasee would defend its home court or Whitko continue its momentum toward the finals. Aly Reiff put Whitko on her back and sent the Wildcats to the sectional championship after dumping Wawasee, 37-33, in game two of the Class 3-A Sectional 21 semi-finals Friday night.
Reiff, who was masterful in the win Wednesday night against West Noble, took on a bigger role against Wawasee. With teammate and fellow lode bearer Brianna Cumberland sidelined for the remainder of Whitko’s playoff run after tearing her ACL late in the West Noble game, all eyes went to Reiff. And the sophomore did not disappoint.
When the chips were down in the fourth quarter, Reiff went to work. A slick jumper by Reiff gave Whitko its first lead of the game at 24-22 and the super sophomore was just getting started. A pair of free throws by Reiff gave Whitko a 28-24 lead, and on her way back down the court, a glance toward the Wawasee student section just to let them know they weren’t bothering her one bit.
She finished the game with 16 points, 12 of which came in the final eight minutes. Her two free throws with two seconds left iced the game.
“I liked silencing the crowd,” Reiff said with a smile. “It’s going to be a great game tomorrow night. Secrest is playing crazy right now, we’ll have to get out and try to take her away as much as we can and keep their three-point shooters from hitting shots.”
Whitko also had key contributions from Jennifer Reiff, who scored eight points included a big basket at the halftime buzzer that brought Whitko within one. Haley Yohe, who had just four points, served much of the role left by Cumberland’s injury in the offensive rotation.
“That was the biggest display of heart and guts I have seen out of this team all season,” said Whitko head coach Brandon Bradley. “I cannot be any prouder. Tomorrow will be a very physical game, but we will have to figure it out and play our guts out again if we want to win the title.”
Wawasee, which opened the game on an 8-0 run, held Whitko to just one field goal in the first quarter. But as has been the trouble with Wawasee all season, spurts of greatness were often followed by lapses. And for Kem Zolman’s bunch, offensive ineptitude crushed Wawasee’s chances to advance in the sectional.
After the hot start, Wawasee made just two field goals until the fourth quarter, and while it still held the lead, couldn’t keep Whitko from chipping away.
Aubrey Schmeltz played in one of her finest games to date, finishing with a season-high 14 points and pulling down six rebounds. Schmeltz found plenty of room to work inside with Whitko’s lack of post presence, creating size matchup problems for the Wildcats. Whitko’s focus, on the other hand, went to Kylee Rostochak, who scored just eight points after scoring 19 in the win against Lakeland Wednesday.
“I thought we played really good defense, aside from one or two possessions which ultimately ended up being the game,” said Zolman, whose team closes at 7-17. “I thought we were focused defensively on what we needed to do. Down the stretch they hit free throws and we didn’t hit any shots.”
Whitko (16-8) will play in its second consecutive sectional championship after making the final in a loss to NorthWood last season. The Wildcats have never won a sectional championship, while Tippecanoe Valley is seeking its sixth. In the Three Rivers Conference matchup with Valley in December, Whitko lost 42-38 in what was a one-possession ballgame through the end.
The Wawasee Girls Basketball Sectional championship game will start Saturday at 7:30 p.m.