TOPEKA — The scoreboard Friday night showed what many inside the Washburn Rural gymnasium expected it would when the clock hit 0:00 — a 66-43 victory for the No. 4-ranked Junior Blues over the Emporia High girls.
But for the Lady Spartans, they believed they had gained something more than what could have been shown in flashing lights.
“I thought we got better tonight, to be honest,” coach Bill Nienstedt said. “We did a lot of things well. I was proud of our effort, I thought our focus was good. We just, at times, were a little nervous and didn’t finish.”
Though Emporia suffered a 23-point loss, there were bright spots for the Lady Spartans. A pesky EHS defense forced 23 Junior Blues turnovers, and the Lady Spartans were able to hang around for a half.
But in the end, Washburn Rural’s size, speed and shot-making ability was too great for EHS to overcome — 11 players scored for the Junior Blues — not to mention a poor shooting night from the free-throw line from the Lady Spartans, as they went 13-of-26 from the charity stripe.
“They are a really good team,” sophomore Alli Armitage said. “I’m glad we played against them. It made us better mentally and physically. I think we got a lot tougher, and we realize what we need to work on.”
Washburn Rural jumped out to a 14-5 lead 6 minutes into the first quarter thanks to a 6-of-9 shooting effort from the field, which included 3-pointers from Kacia Turner and Paige Ladenburger. The Junior Blues took a 14-9 lead into the second quarter, and extended it out to 21-13 3 minutes in.
That’s when Emporia put together its best stretch of basketball of the game, led by senior Jessica Muckenthaler. The 5-foot-7 guard knocked down two mid-range jumpers in transition and Armitage curled off a screen and drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to cap a 7-0 outburst by the Lady Spartans that closed the score to 21-20.
“I saw the openings and took them,” said Muckenthaler, who finished the game with a game-high 15 points. “I think by then, we were calmed down, and it was nice to get that run.”
However, Washburn Rural closed out the half on a 12-3 run to make it 33-23 going into the break, and Emporia never got any closer after that. Washburn Rural outscored the Lady Spartans 15-9 and 18-11 in the final two quarters, which extended the Junior Blues’ advantage to the final 23 points.
Nienstedt said he was pleased with the way his team played defense at times, but said the Junior Blues proved to be too much in transition.
“I think we showed signs of moving in the right direction in our half-court defense, but they push the ball so well and share it so well, and they shoot it so well,” Nienstedt said. “We did some things well at the defensive end, but the score got away in the fourth quarter because we were probably a little tired.”
Armitage also scored eight points for the Lady Spartans, while Muckenthaler led EHS in rebounding with six boards. Turner and Morgan Barrett led Rural with 12 points apiece. The Junior Blues also were on fire from behind the arc, hitting 7 of 12 shots.
Despite the loss, the EHS players were upbeat following the game, saying it could be a learning experience.
“I think we’re better than we played tonight, but I thought we played well,” Armitage said. “The score just got away from us.”
Centennial League
Friday at Washburn Rural
Emporia 14 19 15 18 — 66
Washburn Rural 9 14 9 11 — 43
EMPORIA (4-4, 1-3)
J. Muckenthaler 7-15 1-6 15, A. Armitage 2-7 2-2 8, R. Bachman 0-4 2-2 2, S. Webb 2-3 2-4 6, N. Naab 1-8, 4-6 6, L. Hileman 1-6 0-4 2, L. Arndt 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 14-46 13-26 43.
WASHBURN RURAL (8-1, 4-1)
M. Barrett 3-4 3-4 12, K. Turner 5-7 0-0 12, L. Riley 4-7 2-2 10, L. Caby 1-1 0-0 2, P. Ladenburger 4-8 0-0 9, A. Bordewick 1-3 0-0 2, K. Lewis 0-0 0-0 0, S. Longstaff 2-6 0-0 5, K. Tucker 0-2 1-2 1, B. Silovsky 4-6 0-0 8, A. Morse 1-1 0-0 2, E. Harpster 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-46 6-8 66.
3-point goals — Emporia 2-8 (Muckenthaler 0-2, Armitage 2-4, Bachman 0-1, Naab 0-1), WR 7-12 (Barrett 3-4, Turner 2-3, Ladenburger 1-1, Bordewick 0-2, Longstaff 1-2). Rebounds — Emporia 24 (Muckenthaler 6), WR 36 (Caby 8). Assists — Emporia 3 (Armitage 2), WR 10 (Barrett 5). Turnovers — Emporia 16, WR 23. Total fouls — Emporia 10, WR 20. Fouled out — None.