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Diane Stamm | Johnson Publications

Monique Gooden (21) pressures a Hitchcock County guard as teammates Natalie Ramirez (left), Destiny Beacham (35), Michaela Dukes and Faith Simpson (31) get back on defense.

WP girls’ basketball team finishes second at Cattle Trail

Following a runner up finish in the Cattle Trail Tournament, the Wauneta-Palisade girls’ basketball team is 4-1.

First round win
    WP opened the tournament with a 46-39 win over Southwest.
    Coach Matt Cox said that although the Broncos didn’t shoot the ball well, the team still got off to a great start.
    Michaela Dukes, Natalie Ramirez, Monique Gooden and Faith Simpson all scored for WP in the first quarter when the Broncos took a 14-4 lead.
    The Southwest offense found traction in the second quarter and closed the gap on WP, while holding the Broncos to four field goals in the quarter.
    “There’s times that we will go through shooting slumps, but we need to continue to defend and rebound,” Cox said. “We did a poor job of that in the second quarter and Southwest did a nice job of battling back.”
    F. Simpson powered the Broncs in the third quarter, scoring 11 of WP’s 12 points, then scored seven of WP’s nine points in the fourth quarter.
    F. Simpson totaled 28 points for WP and added six rebounds and six steals. Gooden had seven points and four steals. Dukes grabbed five rebounds.

Beat Hitchcock County in OT
    WP got revenge for last year’s one point loss to Hitchcock County in the Cattle Trail semifinals with a 59-55 win in over time Friday.
    The teams played even in the first quarter, but when foul trouble led F. Simpson to the bench, Hitchcock County made its move. WP was outscored 6-12 over the final 5:42 of the half. WP’s Reagan Skow, Destiny Beacham and Gooden made 6-7 free throws over the stretch.
    WP nibbled away at the Falcons’ lead throughout the third quarter and retook the lead 33-31 on a Gooden three-pointer with less that a minute in the quarter.
    A basket by F. Simpson off an assist from Beacham gave WP a 35-31 lead at the end of the third quarter.
    Three free throws by Ramirez gave WP a 38-33 lead, but five straight points by the Falcons tied the game at 38.
    Though WP extended its lead once more and held a 49-44 advantage with 38.3 second left, the Falcons answered with five straight points to force overtime.
    Hitchcock County briefly held the lead in OT, but F. Simpson went to work, scoring seven straight points. Holding a 56-51, a basket by Beacham sealed the win for WP.
    “I was happy with the way we played in overtime, despite Hitchcock County having all the momentum at the end of regulation,” Cox said.

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WP girls’ basketball team finishes second at Cattle Trail | Wauneta Breeze

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