Region 1-AAA: West-Oak vs. Walhalla

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two weeks remain in the 2023-24 regular season. In spite of the campaign coming down the home stretch, there is still plenty to be decided.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Region 1-AAA in the Upper State is a classic example. West-Oak and Walhalla came into Tuesday's big region battle with identical 5-2 region records, but neither top was atop the 1-AAA standings.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That distinction belonged to Daniel (moving to 4A starting next season) and its 6-1 region mark (despite an 11-9 overall showing).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both the Warriors and Razorbacks entered Tuesday evening's matchup looking to keep pace with the Lions. The Razorbacks would do just that as they earned a 71-40 victory over the Warriors.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I (knew) it'd be a pretty tight game, I thought,” Walhalla coach Byron Wimphrie says. “But it was spread more than I thought it would be. But the girls played well.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Remember What Happened Last Time?</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walhalla got the better of West-Oak the first time these two teams linked up on Jan. 12. The Razorbacks scored a 48-31 win over the Warriors on West-Oak's home floor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I thought the biggest difference is we hit a lot more shots,” Wimphrie says. “We forced them to turn the ball over a bit more. (The Warriors) are a scrappy team, They play hard, they played well together. I think they got rattled a little bit – couple of spurts and then we got away (from them).”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The contest began auspiciously for those sporting the Warriors colors as they jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage. The Razorbacks then responded with an 8-0 run to get back in the matchup. The lively atmosphere was complimented by both West-Oak and Walhalla being knotted up at 11 apiece with eight minutes complete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early in the second, the Warriors had a 13-11 advantage. That lead proved to be every bit as short-lived as it was slim. A 15-0 scoring barrage from the Razorbacks tilted the get-together greatly in their favor in frame no. 2. As halftime commenced, Walhalla's lead over West-Oak was 29-17.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even the third quarter did not give too many indications that this one would be the blowout it became. Walhalla maintained a double-digit lead, but it was still only 17 points following three quarters. There was still time for West-Oak to make it interesting, but they trailed by a margin of 48-31.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then…. the first quarter happened and it was a frame that would see the Razorbacks outscore the Warriors 23-9. What appeared to be a competitive matchup on paper would be a 31-point rout when the teams actually took to the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":847639,"width":"526px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_9332-crop-2236x1469-1706710250.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-847639" style="width:526px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors were invited guests to the <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='587302' first='Kami' last='Roach']</strong> show on Tuesday evening. Roach tallied 25 points to lead all scorers for either team. The sophomore displayed an ability to score at all three levels – including the four 3-pointers she made. Roach also made plays on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“She's a go-getter,” Wimphrie says. “She's a ballplayer, has a really good IQ. I just enjoy coaching her. She's a great teammate. If she gets hot, she gets hot. So that's one of the good things. If she's open, she going to shoot it and that's what I tell her.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":600732,"width":"532px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/IMG_2591-crop-3903x2563-1676829464.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-600732" style="width:532px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another one of the Razorbacks' guards – <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='412607' first='Marnie' last='Baxter']</strong> – also was difficult for West-Oak to contain. Baxter added 14 points to Walhalla's total. She displayed an ability to make 3-pointers, attack the rim and make accurate passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":677416,"width":"534px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/771C0492-D7B3-4654-A5D7-FADFA5772B88.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-677416" style="width:534px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='529247' first='Gianna' last='Ortiz']</strong> was an anchor for the Walhalla frontcourt. The 5-foot-11 standout big concluded her evening with an 11-point showing. Ortiz got things going early for the Razorbacks after they trailed 6-2 early.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":847633,"width":"536px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_9324-crop-1852x1216-1706710056.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-847633" style="width:536px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West-Oak is a team that has plenty of youth – so it was only fitting that youth was what keyed the Warriors' efforts. These included the 11 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='848225' first='Ashton' last='Sosby']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":847631,"width":"532px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_9194-crop-1833x1204-1706709880.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-847631" style="width:532px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another bright spot for the Warriors came in the form of a sophomore as <strong>Joey Burgess</strong> contributed 10 points to the West-Oak cause. The Warriors made a total of five 3-pointers for the game. Two of those five departed from Burgess' hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Zoe vs. Zebras</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":847648,"width":"528px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_9315-crop-2330x1530-1706710487.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-847648" style="width:528px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An early sign of trouble for the Warriors occurred in the second quarter when [player_tooltip player_id='374512' first='Zoe' last='Sheriff'], one of West-Oak's premier players, found herself in early foul trouble. She compiled three personals before the midpoint of the second quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Up Next...</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have two games remaining on their schedules – but neither is against Daniel. The Razorbacks will have Senior Night this Friday vs. Seneca before finishing the season on Feb. 6 at Pendleton. West-Oak will also have its Senior Night this Friday vs. Crescent before traveling to Seneca on Feb. 6 to finish the regular season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->