[score id=”42884″ align=”right”]The girls basketball team dominated the visiting 18-5 Walter Johnson Wildcats 54-30 Saturday afternoon, improving to 22-0 and advancing to the regional finals.
Guard Marie Hatch led the team with a game-high 15 points. Guards Abby Meyers and Hannah Niles and forward Betsy Knox added nine points each.
“We knew WJ would come out with so much energy because that’s their style, but we played with even more intensity,” Hatch said. “They put up a good fight, but we proved to be a stronger and much deeper team than them today.”
The Vikes came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, connecting on crisp passes and open jumpers. They forced two shot-clock violations in the first three Wildcat possessions. After a 10-0 run, they led 14-4 after the first quarter.
Niles scored five points in the first minute of the second quarter, and the Vikings led 31-12 at the half.
The Vikings maintained tight defense, with several steals and blocked shots. The Wildcats’ main scorers were essentially shut down and had low point totals, a major factor in the game’s outcome, Hatch said.
The Vikings slowed down their attack in the second half but still controlled the tempo, outscoring the Wildcats 12-11 and 11-7 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
The girls look to advance to the state semifinals when they face the winner of Clarksburg and Wootton at Paint Branch High School Monday night.
