Lady Vandals upset Newton at regionals

VANDALIA – For the Lady Vandals to be successful, they need sophomore point guard Madelyn Hosick to slash to the basket, making layups and converting free throws.

Early in the season, half of that element was seriously lacking.

Hosick put those struggles behind on Monday, playing the best game of her career with 14 points and 12 rebounds as Vandalia upset Newton, 47-39, in the first round of Class 2A Vandalia Regional.

At one point this season, Hosick had a free-throw percentage of just 28.1, but she has slowly pushed that percentage north in the second half.

After making 10-of-16 shots on Monday, she is up to 48.9 percent, and has made 24-of-36 in the past five games.

“We kept trying to watch (her mechanics). She’ll make 45 out of 50 in practice, but we’ll get in a game and she misses them,” said coach Michelle McNary. “I think she was keeping her elbow out.

“She’s been following straight through with it, and her shot looks better,” she said. “Watching from the sideline, she looks like someone you’d want to go to the free-throw line for you at the end of a game.”

That’s exactly what she did against Newton, making seven free throws in the fourth quarter – including five in the final 1:13 on four trips to the charity stripe.

Earlier in the final period, she split shots on two trips to the line and also scored on a breakaway layup.

“She’s done a much better job over the last month,” McNary said. “She’s been going to the line a lot and knocking them down.

“We’ve looked for her all year to push the ball, and it seemed like early in the season she was pulling back and letting the defense catch up,” she said. “I’ve really been on her about pushing it and trying to get a layup.”

Layups were key to Vandalia’s success in the first half, with the team making six of its eight field goals in the paint.

The lead was exchanged six times in the first half, with the senior Kylie Sellers making a layup that put the Lady Vandals (7-20) ahead 22-20 with 1:06 left in the second quarter.

Vandalia woudn’t trail again as McNary mixed her lineups in the second half, using just one starter as the fourth quarter opened, and utilizing senior Megan Godoyo in several positions.

Godoyo, who was cleared last week to return from a knee injury, scored six points in extended minutes and also blocked a shot.

“She can run the point, she can run the post or she can run the wing,” McNary said. “She’s not 100 percent mobile, but she does a lot of nice things – she sees the floor well and can handle the ball.

“I feel more comfortable when she is out on the floor,” she said. “As a coach, I feel like the game runs smoother when she is out there.

Senior Morgan Cripe dominated the third quarter with five points and four rebounds.

In the second half, she scored all seven of her points and grabbed six of her seven rebounds.

“She was frustrated that her shots weren’t going in,” McNary said. “We told her, ‘You just have to keep working because you are making some nice moves.’

“I think she was more aggressive in the second half and looked to go to the basket,” she said. “Before the half, I thought she made a nice move but she fell away from the basket.”

Monday, Feb. 10
Vandalia 47
Newton 39
V: 10-12-9-16—47
N: 9-11-5-14—39
Points: Hosick, 14; Cripe, 7; Karlie Bright, 6; Godoyo, 6; Kaitlyn Kershaw, 4; Makayla Tinker, 4; Randi Evans, 3; Kylie Sellers, 2; Emma Meyer, 1.
Rebounds: Hosick, 12; Cripe, 7; Bright, 3; Godoyo, 3; Kershaw, 3; Meyer, 2; Tinker, 2; Team, 2; Evans, 1; Brandy Protz, 1.
Assists: Hosick, 3; Sellers, 2.
Steals: Tinker, 3; Bright, 2; Hosick, 2; Cripe, 1; Evans, 1; Meyer, 1; Sellers, 1.
Blocks: Cripe, 1; Godoyo, 1; Hosick, 1; Meyer, 1.
Record: 7-20