Lady Wildcats move on to district semifinals 

The Whiteoak Lady Wildcats earned a Division VII SE District Tournament win Thursday night by defeating the Racine Southern Lady Tornadoes 49-37 with a strong second half where Whiteoak outscored their opponent by 17 points in the final two quarters. 

The No. 8 seeded Lady Wildcats (9-13) trailed 10-3 after the first frame with their points in the first quarter being scored by Jillian Lucas off three free throws at the 7:17 mark and the 3:49 mark of the frame, as WHS led 3-2 at that point of the game. 

No. 9 Southern (7-14) responded with an 8-0 run to end the first frame in the final 3:23 of the first for the 10-3 lead, as WHS went 0-of-9 from the floor in the first quarter. 

Whiteoak responded with a 13-10 second quarter, beginning the frame with a basket while being fouled from Libby Webster, and after six points off two 3-pointers by Jaylynn Hupp of Southern, and a Whiteoak timeout, the game began to change for WHS. 

At the 5:06 mark of the second, the Lady Tornadoes took an 18-6 lead over WHS, but Whiteoak answered with a two-point basket by Webster and a 3-pointer from Lucas, then Webster struck again, this time with a 3-pointer with 3:25 left in the second. 

After SHS increased their lead to six points, WHS scored two final points in the frame as Lucas sank two free throws for a 20-16 halftime deficit. This frame, WHS was 4-of-7 from the floor. 

Whiteoak opened the third quarter with a steal and two points by Ella Howard, and WHS also had early third-quarter points off basket by Webster, Lucas and Aveah Captain as she drilled a 3-pointer with 4:26 on the clock for a 26-25 score, as Whiteoak cut Southern’s lead to one point. 

A 3-pointer by Hupp of Southern put them in front by four points, but Whiteoak battled with a 3-pointer by Webster, followed by a three-point play by Lucas for a 31-29 Whiteoak lead with 47.0 left in the second quarter. 

Southern eventually tied the score with 34.5 left in the quarter, making it a 31-31 score headed into the fourth frame. 

The Lady ’Cats began the fourth quarter with a free throw made by Howard and a two-point basket by Captain for a 34-31 WHS lead. With 6:34 left in regulation. After a basket by SHS, WHS scored the next 10 points as Lucas and Captain each drained a 3-pointer, followed by Webster making a basket, and Lucas came back with another two points of a 44-32 lead with the clock reading 4:15.

Eventually WHS had final buckets scored by Howard and Lucas, propelling them to the 12-point win at 49-37. 

Lucas led Whiteoak with 20 points, making four two point baskets, two 3-pointers, and she went 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. Libby Webster finished with 16 points, sinking two 3-pointers, four two-point buckets and she was 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. 

Aveah Captain followed with eight points as she made two 3-pointers and one two-point field goal. Ella Howard totaled five points by making two two-pointers and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. 

As a team, WHS made six 3-pointers, 11 two-point baskets, and they were 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. 

Southern was led by Jaylynn Hupp with 25 points as she made five 3-pointers, three two-point baskets and she went 4-of-7 from the free-throw line. 

Whiteoak (9-13) will play again on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Valley High School (Lucasville) in the Division VII SE District Semifinals against No. 1 seeded Reedsville Eastern (16-5) at 6:15 p.m. 

BOX SCORE
SHS      10 10 11 06 — 37
WHS     03 13 15 18 — 49