Upset loss to Ed-Co brings Central girls basketball season to an end
Ashlyn Scherf surveys the floor in Central’s playoff loss to Edgewood-Colesburg. Scherf scored six points in the game. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Central girls basketball postseason run came to an abrupt end last week after a stunning upset loss in the quarterfinals to Edgewood-Colesburg.
It was a “bittersweet” ending to the winningest regular season in school history, with 19 wins, which included a conference championship for the first time in decades and 1,000 career points for senior Delaney Scherf.
But none of that mattered to the Vikings, who entered the quarterfinal match-up with a lot of confidence. From the opening tip-off, which the Warriors won before promptly turning the ball over, Central was on its heels. The turnover was a sign of things to come as, by the end of the game, the Warriors turned the ball over 21 times.
“Our 21 turnovers were due to us not settling into things on the offensive end and prevented our ability to close the deficit sooner,” said coach Mark Wiley.
The turnovers in the first period put the Warriors down by 10 points and they were unable to close the gap at all, going into the half down 34-24. Turnovers continued in the third period, and Central was unable to gain any ground.
One of the problems for the Warriors was the incredible shooting by the Vikings, who finished the game at over 50 percent from the floor and on threes. That’s compared to the 30 percent range for the Warriors. Despite adjustments to slow down the Ed-Co pace, it never materialized, ending in a 61-49 loss for Central.
“They played better than we did, shot better and executed on the offensive end better as well,” Wiley said. “We started the night in 1-3-1 defense, saw them play Kee High at home and their efficiency on the offensive end. We switched to man defense, which allowed them to isolate their best player inside. We did a good job of initially defending, but gave up 16 second-chance points in the loss.”
Haley Frieden led the Warriors with 20 points, followed by D. Scherf with 12, Ashlyn Scherf six and Lexi Loan five.
The Warriors shot 36 percent from the floor, going 8-23 on three-point shots and 5-12 on free throws, having cooled off from the free throw line over the last two weeks, according to Wiley.
D. Scherf made up for an off shooting night with eight assists, six rebounds and four steals, while Frieden added three rebounds and two assists. Gracie Cummer finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists.
One question that could be asked after the surprising defeat, considering the Warriors beat the Vikings during the regular season, was whether or not the team was looking past Ed-Co or if the expectations were too much. Wiley dismissed both claims, giving all the credit to the Vikings.
“No looking ahead, that’s for sure. After seeing Ed-Co in action the week before, we knew we would have a tough game on our hands against them. Winning the conference was nice, but that wasn’t our ultimate goal as a team. We just weren’t better than Ed-Co, including players and coaches that night,” Wiley said.
Several Warrior players will graduate, including leading scorer D. Scherf, leading rebounder Frieden and pivotal role players Loan, Hannah Asche and Aly Feickert.
Wiley called these players a tough group of athletes.
“They have been playing basketball longer in their lives than they haven’t been. They will be missed in their accountability, their dedication and their work on and off the court. All five players…are great students here at Central,” Wiley said. “They will be missed next year because we as coaches realize the importance of leadership on a good team.”
Wiley believes a strong core remains, but the younger players will need to step up, put the time in and be committed during the offseason if the program wants to continue its success.
When looking back over the current season, one thing Wiley wanted to highlight was the program’s non-conference record of 4-2, which challenged the team with more competitive games than a conference schedule in which they won nearly every game by an average of 33 points. Still, all the highlights can’t overcome the “sense of disappointment” felt after going one-and-done in the playoffs.
“I feel, every time a season comes to an end, there is a sense of disappointment. I think that happens with every team unless you win the championship. We talked about approach to the game of basketball and how it has a direct correlation to the approach in anything we do as well as our life. As individuals, we can sometimes just get through the day, and we need to be striving to make ourselves better. We improved in areas of the game this season, but continuing to strive to be better in all areas is often tough to do but necessary,” Wiley said.
