After opening the season with losses to Menominee Nation and Kewaunee, the Oconto Falls girls basketball team hoped to turn the tide in its North Eastern Conference opener.
The Waupaca Comets had other plans, however.
The Comets scored 21 of the game’s first 23 points and cruised to a 59-23 win over the Panthers on Dec. 2 at Waupaca High School.
“Obviously, that was not the start we were anticipating,” coach Tim Solarek said. “They scored on 10 of their first 14 possessions. Our message in the locker room was: ‘It’s game three. We’re not going to overreact.’ We all agreed that we have to be better.”
Waupaca scored the first nine points and closed the first half with a 15-2 run to take a 40-11 lead into the locker room.
Neala Horkman opened the second half for the Panthers with a 3-pointer, but the Panthers never got any closer than 26 points the rest of the way.
“They were well-prepared and I thought had a great game plan,” Solarek said. “We struggled early and dug ourselves a hole. That’s tough for anybody to get out of. We had to change some things defensively on the fly, because we got down so deep. We make a couple more layups early, and it’s a completely different ball game. We seemed to struggle in making some of those easy bunnies.”
That game plan included holding the Panthers’ leading scorer, Rylie Shallow, to a team-high eight points.
“They had all five girls on her,” Solarek said. “We had her in different positions, and when she was in the paint, they really made it difficult for her to get the ball. She’s what makes us go, so obviously, they were going to key on her. ”
Hailey Bechard scored 17 of her game-high 19 points in the first half to lead Waupaca, while Ava Widdel also finished in double figures with 14.
The Panthers didn’t have much time to dwell on the game, as they hosted defending conference champion Marinette three days later.
“They didn’t give up, and they’re a good group of kids,” Solarek said. “We’re going to watch some film in practice, and tomorrow’s a new day. That’s how we have to look at it. It’s not the end of the world, but we have to learn from it and move on. If we don’t, that’s a problem, but they’ll do better. I know they’ll improve.”
