The Class B No. 4 Waverly girls basketball team held No. 8 Blair to just four made field goals and two free throws through three quarters Tuesday night.
The Bears trailed 40-10 at home and lost, 48-21.
“They kind of play like we want to play,” BHS coach Matt Aschoff said of the Vikings' defensive showing. “We want to have ball pressure.”
Waverly's kept the home team in check from the start. Blair trailed 10-0 in the first period before freshman Kaitlynn O'Neil made a reverse layup.
Gueryn Kay later added a bucket, too, but the Vikings still led 15-4.
“Our offense was able to be run, but we didn't do it because of the ball pressure,” Aschoff said.
The Bears' Addie Sullivan — who finished with a team-high six points — scored in the second quarter, but her team was down 23 points at halftime.
“I feel like we were rushing shots,” Aschoff said. “I know we got low on the shot clock sometimes, but the problem was that we would move the ball and then just hold it.”
BHS' Hayden Frink-Mathis notched an inside bucket on a Jacy Schueth entrance pass during the third period, but the Bears still couldn't get any offensive momentum.
Finally, during the fourth quarter, Aschoff's team outscored Waverly 11-8. Freshman Taytum Macholan made two baskets during the 8-minute stretch.
“Taytum Macholan understood her shot selection tonight,” the coach said. “I thought she did phenomenal. She didn't force stuff.”
Aschoff also complimented Schueth, a sophomore, who he believed played strong defense in Blair's first loss of the 2023-24 season. The Bears next compete 6 p.m. today at Plattsmouth.
BHS GIRLS HOOPS LINE SCORE
Tuesday
No. 4 Waverly 48, No. 8 Blair 21
WHS (3-0) 15 14 11 8 — 48
BHS (2-1) 4 2 4 11 — 21
Scoring: BHS — Addie Sullivan 6, Taytum Macholan 5, Hayden Frink-Mathis 2, Kaitlynn O'Neil 2, Claire Anderson 2, Gueryn Kay 2, Kate Wulf 1, Leah Chance 1.
WHS — Anastyn Harms 15, Parker Christiansen 10, Lexi Adams 8, Peyton Tritz 4, Berkley Lambrecht 4, Ava Amos 3, Breeley King 2, Kenna Kottman 2.
