Vandalia girls split pair of SCC contests

GREENVILLE – Struggling on both offense and defense on Monday, the Lady Vandals watched a Greenville player set a school record for 3-pointers made during a 66-45 loss, Vandalia’s first of the season.

Greenville’s Maria Reinhard made a record seven 3-pointers during the game, at times taking advantage of gaping holes in Vandalia’s defense, and the Lady Vandals had trouble getting their shots to fall, despite four players finishing in double figures.
“We were flat to start off the game, and we had to be ready to play, because it’s hard to win here,” said Vandalia coach Michelle McNary. “Our defense was not there, and offensively we struggled too, so it was a double-whammy.”
The Lady Vandals (3-1, 2-1 South Central Conference) had just six points in the first quarter, while allowing Greenville to post 19, including seven that came off Vandalia turnovers. Greenville’s largest first-quarter lead was at 15-2, just 4:29 into the game.
Greenville (6-2, 3-1 SCC) made two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second quarter, erasing the gains Vandalia made with a pair of shots under the basket.
Senior Haley Wollerman and junior Amber Bruno made 3-pointers in the final 1:45 of the first half, but Greenville made up five of those points, including a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds left, to take a 37-23 halftime lead.
Senior Hannah Edwards, who nearly had a double-double, with 10 points and nine rebounds, was out the final three minutes of the first half after being poked in the eye, but she returned to play in the second half.
As Greenville’s lead continued to grow in the third quarter, frustration set in for the Lady Vandals, as Edwards picked up a technical foul on a questionable travel call, and McNary earned one about 90 seconds later after Vandalia was called for two charges in the span of 3 seconds.
“It was definitely frustration setting in,” McNary said. “I felt like we weren’t getting a lot of calls, and that’s not what beat us. But it didn’t help matters, because we couldn’t get in a flow.”
Vandalia trailed by 21 after the free throws from McNary’s technical, and the Lady Vandals would not get much closer than that for the rest of the game.
McNary credited the Lady Comets for making their free throws and field goals, as well as building an insurmountable lead early on, but she planned to spend a lot of time focusing on defense in practices before a tough matchup at Hillsboro on Thursday.
“Everything,” McNary said of the primary defensive problem. “We really looked completely out of sync tonight. Our defense just wasn’t there, and the girls know that.”
Monday, Dec. 5
at Greenville
Greenville 66
Vandalia 45
VHS: 6-17-12-10—45
GHS: 19-18-19-10—66
Points: Wollerman, 12; Bruno, 11; Edwards, 10; Megan Godoyo, 10; Brandy Protz, 2.
Rebounds: Bruno, 11; Edwards, 9; Godoyo, 4; Wollerman, 4; Bruno, 3; Team, 2; Morgan Whightsil, 2; Krissy Connell, 1.
Steals: Edwards, 2; Godoyo, 2; Wollerman, 2; Haley Cothern, 1; Morgan Cripe, 1; Whightsil, 1.
Record: 3-1 (2-1 SCC)

Vandalia vs. Southwestern

Wollerman had six 3-pointers and Edwards recorded her third straight game with at least 10 rebounds as the Lady Vandals overcame a slow start to beat Southwestern by 20 on Saturday.

For Vandalia, which was a 54-34 winner, Edwards was the star in the first half – recording 11 rebounds and all nine of her points over the first 16 minutes – and Wollerman stepped up in the second half, hitting five of her 3-pointers and scoring 18 of her game-high 23 points.

“I was satisified today, because we came out flat, but I feel like we are better than that in that we should run some points off,” McNary said. “We had some chances to push the ball and turned it over on an unforced error.

“Piasa is a good program, and it’s a win we will take.”

Vandalia trailed, 7-1, after the first 3:07 of the game, but Godoyo tied the game at 9 just 3:18 later, and Bruno hit a 3-pointer 33 seconds later to give Vandalia its first lead, which would not be relinquished.

Edwards scored six of her points in that 3:18 span, and the game was the first of the season during which she scored more than two points.

“She stepped up and played the best she has played offensively,” McNary said. “It was nice for her to get some offensive rebounds and put them back in.”

The Lady Vandals did not make many runs during the game, instead often making two shots for every one that Southwestern made.

An 8-0 run during a 1-minute span in the fourth quarter, however, was the moment when it felt that Vandalia had the game won. After that stretch, the Lady Vandals led, 49-30, with 5:01 left in the game.

“We were pretty flat to start the game,” McNary said. “We definitely picked it up in the second half, though.”

Another highlight for the Lady Vandals was the defense’s ability to limit Southwestern’s Beth Wild.

Wild came into the game averaging double-digit points per game, but she only scored four against Whightsil, Edwards and Cripe.

In general, however, McNary said the players were “overplaying” on defense, which led to some easy baskets and offensive rebounds for the Lady Birds.

“Today, we missed a couple of shots, and missed a couple of rebounds,” McNary said. “But once we got into a flow, I felt like things went pretty well for us.”

Saturday, Dec. 3
Vs. Southwestern
Vandalia 54
Southwestern 34
VHS: 12-12-13-17—54
SW:    11-6-7-10—34
Points: Wollerman, 23; Godoyo, 10; Bruno, 9; Edwards, 9; Cripe, 3.
Rebounds: Edwards, 12; Whightsil, 10; Bruno, 5; Godoyo, 5; Team, 3; Cripe, 2; Kaitlyn Kershaw, 1; Wollerman, 1.
Steals: Bruno, 3; Wollerman, 3; Cripe, 1; Edwards, 1; Godoyo, 1; Protz, 1.
Blocks: Godoyo, 1.
Record: 3-0 (2-0 SCC)