Lady Falcons Snap Long Streak

January 26, 2020February 7, 2020 Paul Clark

Wilmot assistant coach, Sarah Vozel, was a sophomore playing up on varsity in January of 2011. Central phenom post player, Reese Rynberg, was in kindergarten, identifying short and long vowel sounds, in January of 2011.

Falcon post player, **Reese Rynberg**, was in kindergarten the last time her team beat Wilmot. – *submitted photo.*

The last time Central had beaten Wilmot (44-40) was back in January of 2011. The 13th, to be exact.

Friday night, the Lady Falcons ended that long streak by grinding out a 67-64 win over their county rival.

In their last match-up, played December 6th, Wilmot handled Central 77-50, and head coach Mindy Stewart acknowledged that her players “were surprised by their speed and physicality.” On Friday night, Wilmot started with heavy defensive pressure, forced several turnovers, and jumped out to an 11-2 lead. It wasn’t looking good for Central. And it looked like Wilmot was going to roll them again.

Wilmot’s **Delaney Brown** (#45) played a strong defensive game and was 5-for-10 from the floor. She finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

Then Stewart took a timeout, talked about the full-court pressure, and brought in some substitutes. She added, “But tonight we didn’t play timid.”

Once **Maggie Kimpler** (#30) came off the bench, Central erased an 11-2 deficit to tie it up at 14-14. It was a tight battle to the last shot. Central won the game **67-64**.

The Falcons closed the gap, and Wilmot led 31-28 at halftime. They battled toe-to-toe throughout the second half, with several ties. Wilmot’s last lead would be 51-49, with 6:01 remaining.

Central sophomore, **Evie Hinze** (#20), is feeling pretty good after hitting her 5th consecutive free-throw vs Wilmot on Friday night. Central won the game **67-64**.

Then Central sophomore, Evie Hinze (#20), drained 6-of-8 second-half free-throws, and put Central in the lead. Falcon sophomore, Ki Anderson (#43) then hit a final free-throw with 14 seconds left, to give Central a crucial three-point lead at 67-64. Stewart said, “Ki has had the most growth, overall, when it comes to composure. So impressed!”

Wilmot had the ball, and took a timeout with 8.6 seconds remaining in the game. They needed 3-points to tie the game. The shot missed, and the Falcons ended the long long streak.

With only 8.6 seconds left in the game, Central head coach, **Mindy Stewart** (center) talks to her players about defending a 3-point shot. She then rolled out 4 sophomores with a freshman to execute the defensive plan, and Central won the game **67-64**.

Leading scorers:

Ellie Reynolds (Central) 20 points
Evie Hinze (Central) 15 points
Sophia Parisi (Wilmot) 14 points
Karina Leber (Wilmot) 13 points
Delaney Brown (Wilmot) 13 points

Central freshman Reese Rynberg finished with 8 points, 11 rebounds, 4 deflections and 2 steals. Stewart said, ” What she was able to provide defensively in the paint against Leber kept us in the game. She later added, ” Reese has impressed me with her ability to just shrug off mistakes. She just grinds. Although she has grown into varsity ball, we haven’t seen the best of her yet. Her ability to run the floor is such an asset. In the off season she puts in the work. I can’t wait to see her game next season.

The last time Central had beaten Wilmot in girl’s basketball, there was no Snapchat, there was no Lyft, and JJ Watt was just finishing up his junior season in Madison.

*** Bonus = Karina Leber = highlight video https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/karina-leber/98XGMWocEea-8KA2nzwbTA/default.htm

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