This story is sponsored by: Sternweis & Sons
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STRATFORD – The lead in the Marawood Conference South Division girls basketball standings stood in the balance as Stratford hosted Wisconsin Rapids Assumption on Tuesday night.
In the end, it was Assumption’s tenacious, pressure defense that prevailed. The Royals forced a whopping 37 turnovers and closed the game out by making 12 of 16 free throws over the final three minutes to win 55-45 at Stratford High School.
Assumption, ranked No. 3 in this week’s Wissports.net Division 5 state coaches poll, improves to 9-1 overall and takes over first place in the Marawood South at 6-0. Stratford drops to 9-3 and 6-1 in conference play as it suffered its third loss in a row.
The Royals started the game on an 11-2 run only to see Stratford finally get its offense going.
A three-point play by Carly Pankratz and a 3-pointer by MyKayla Stueber sparked a 10-0 run for the Tigers, who went ahead 12-11 on a basket by Stueber with 7:33 to go before halftime.
In what became a trend in the game, Assumption responded to anything Stratford threw at them. The Royals forced turnovers on four-straight possessions and went on a 9-0 run, taking a 24-15 lead on a steal and layup by Sarah Shaw.
Stratford went into halftime with a bang as Daisy Yoder nailed a half-court shot at the buzzer and the 3-pointer cut the Royals’ lead to 28-22.
Assumption held Stratford to one made basket over the first 6½ minutes of the second half, extending its lead to 38-25 before the Tigers put together one last push.
A Stueber 3-pointer and a three-point play by Tria Tubbs started a 10-0 run that brought the Tigers to with three at 38-35 with 7:03 to go.
Assumption again put a halt to Stratford’s momentum by forcing two turnovers and a fastbreak layup by Anna Schooley, who had a team-high 18 points for the Royals, gave them a 43-35 lead. Schooley surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career early in the contest.
Stratford came as close as five with four minutes left, but could not get any closer as the Royals were able to maintain a comfortable lead by making enough free throws and forcing four more turnovers over the last two minutes.
Shaw added 16 points and Jordyn Jaglinski 15 in the win for Assumption.
Carly Pankratz led Stratford with 11 points, and Tria Tubbs had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Stratford will play a Marawood Conference crossover game at Abbotsford on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Royals 55, Tigers 45
Assumption 28 27 – 55
Stratford 22 23 – 45
ASSUMPTION (55): Claire Nelson 0-2 0-2 0, Sarah Shaw 6-13 4-6 16, Jordyn Jaginski 4-10 7-8 15, Addi Vollert 1-8 4-6 6, Ari Cavanaugh 0-0 0-0 0, Leire Sainz de Rozas 0-3 0-0 0, Anna Schooley 5-10 8-10 18, Rylee Stublaski 0-0 0-2 0. FG: 16-46. FT: 23-34. 3-pointers: 0-10 (Jaglinski 0-4, Schooley 0-3, Nelson 0-1, Volert 0-1, Sainz de Rozas 0-1). Rebounds: 24 (Vollert 7). Turnovers: 19. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: none. Record: 9-1, 6-0 Marawood Conference South Division.
STRATFORD (45): Kayla Casperson 1-5 2-2 4, Laney Pankratz 1-4 0-0 3, Carly Pankratz 5-11 1-1 11, Kassedey Downey 0-1 0-0 0, Emily Zuelke 1-4 0-0 2, Daisy Yoder 3-4 0-0 7, MyKayla Stueber 3-4 0-0 8, Tria Tubbs 4-7 2-3 10. FG: 18-40. FT: 5-6. 3-pointers: 4-6 (Stueber 2-3, Yoder 1-1, L. Pankratz 1-1, C. Pankratz 0-1). Rebounds: 29 (Tubbs 11). Turnovers: 37. Fouls: 20. Fouled out: none. Record: 9-3, 6-1 Marawood Conference South Division.