PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: Guetter reaches 1,000 career points as Rabbits cruise past Sleepy Eye
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WABASSO - The Wabasso girls basketball team opened the new season in style as the Rabbits controlled the pace against the Sleepy Eye Indians en route to a 84-28 victory Thursday night.
The first win of the year is always exciting for every team especially if it's the first game of the season and Wabasso coach Neil Dolan saw a little things that set them back, but they instantly got back into the game and played the whole 36 minutes on the court.
"We started out slow and gave up some easy buckets but after that they buckled down defensively and got very aggressive," said Dolan. "And I think that's what we want to see from this team. One thing I tell the girls is you have to play for 36 minutes and they did that."
The Rabbits had thoughts of a strong start in mind going into the game, but Sleepy Eye took the first early lead of the night before Wabasso found exactly what it was looking for. The heat was brought on the court as the Rabbits took every shot opportunity they came across, but what helped Wabasso keep the success going was reading the Indians defense and taking the ball back with some key steals. Sarah Franta's success on the 3-point line started early and helped contribute to the 19-13 lead the Rabbits held, with 10:20 remaining in the first half. Wabasso never laid low on offense and played aggressive and fast as a 17-point run helped grow the Rabbits lead to 31-15 with 6:09 left to play in the first half. Maddy Guetter started off her big night in points early on in the game but continued to contribute throughout the entirety of the first and second halves, putting up a 3-pointer that extended the Rabbits lead to 39-17.
One thing that shined for Wabasso throughout the night was its rebounding, both on offense and defense which helped them keep the ball on their offensive end of the floor. The Rabbits ended the first half on a high note with a 15-point run and took a big 54-19 lead over Sleepy Eye going into halftime.
With a team filled with upperclassmen, that means the team is full of experience, hard work and friendships. Dolan sees a lot of great leadership from the whole team and that carries out into how they play the game on the court.
"We have great leadership on this team. Jenna Frank and Guetter those two kids are really great leaders for the team," said Dolan. "Megan Rothmeier played outstanding and really handled the ball well."
Guetter was the one to watch coming into the second half as she scored her 1,000th career point right away into the second half for the Rabbits and she didn't stop there as she put up back-to-back shots growing Wabasso's lead to 58-19. Strong offense was the key to the Rabbits' success on the court, as they went on a 24-point run and didn't allow the Indians to score for the first nine minutes of the second half.
Sleepy Eye didn't give up and continued to play the hardest they could, but the dominance shown by the Rabbits was hard to overcome. The Rabbits continued their momentum on the court and found themselves up 81-24 with 4:50 remaining in the game. The Indians fought back hard to the strong showing the Rabbits had but could only put up a few more points the rest of the game and that led to Wabasso grabbing their first victory of the year with a final score of 84-28.
With it just being the start of the season there are already a few things that the team can take away from this game going forward in future games to come.
"Playing for 36 minutes is really important," said Dolan. "I told the B-squad this too. Being aggressive defensively and working hard is something that the team can take away from this game going forward in the season."
The Rabbits will be back in action on the road on Tuesday against Minnesota Valley Lutheran.