By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
VICKSBURG — When the two consensus best girls’ basketball teams in the Wolverine Conference, Vicksburg and Paw Paw, square off, fans expect it to be a tight game that goes right down to the wire.
Like the first meeting between the two back in December, Friday’s matchup in Vicksburg between the Bulldogs and Red Wolves was as advertised. Unlike the December matchup, it was Paw Paw coming out on top 50-47 in a game that literally came right down to the final shot, ending Vicksburg’s undefeated start to the 2024-25 season.
“I told the girls in the locker room I was proud of how hard they fought at the end of the game,” Vicksburg head coach Tim Kirby said. “Paw Paw’s good, and honestly, I think we’re the two best teams in the area, and that’s the fourth or fifth game in a row that’s been like that. That’s how those games should be.”
The Bulldogs were down by 10 points, 42-32, entering the fourth quarter, and started a furious comeback within the first two minutes. Emily Zemitans made a bucket down low to start the quarter, Kendra Cooley followed it up with a three-pointer, and Hannah DeVries laid the ball in off the glass to bring the score back to 42-39 before Paw Paw called a timeout.
The score would stay the same until three minutes to go in the game, when Paw Paw’s Jordan Zent went off glass for two points to make it 44-39, and a couple possessions later, Vicksburg’s Scarlett Hosner hit a mid-range jumper to make it 44-41. A free throw by Makayla Allen brought the score to 44-42 with 1:36 left in the game.
A layup by Paw Paw’s Mecenzie Allen with 1:20 left made it a four-point game, 46-42, but after receiving the ball on a missed shot by Paw Paw, Vicksburg’s Madison Cooley laid the ball in to bring it back within two points, 46-44. After two free throws by Paw Paw’s Grace Mitchell and a free throw by Stella Shaefer made it 49-44, A three-ball by Kendra Cooley with 10 seconds left made it a two-point game again, 49-47.
Shaefer made one more free throw to make it 50-47 with six seconds left, and after missing the second free throw, a last-second desperation heave by Makayla Allen at the buzzer was blocked, giving Paw Paw a big win on their resume for the year.
“We were down 10 to start the fourth quarter, and we brought it down to two. Honestly, we get one stop and get a shot in the air to tie the game, and they beat us. That’s okay,” Kirby said. “We’re still up a game in the conference, and all our goals are still in front of us. It’s okay to be upset about losing a game, but I’m proud of my team and how they played.”
There was a bit of tough sledding for Vicksburg early on in the game. Both teams traded baskets to start the game, with Paw Paw going up 6-2 thanks to two three-pointers by Shaefer, but five straight points by the Bulldogs gave them a 7-6 lead midway through the first eight minutes. However, Paw Paw would lock in both its shooting and defense, forcing a number of turnovers on Vicksburg, which led to a 13-2 run to end the quarter to go up 19-9.
The Bulldogs would get back in the game in the second quarter and outscore the Red Wolves 12-9 in the quarter to bring the deficit to 28-21 at the half. Key scoring in the quarter included back-to-back three-pointers by Kendra Cooley and Makayla Allen to bring it to a 25-21 score before three more points before the half by Paw Paw made it 28-21 at the break.
“Offensively, we were kind of second-guessing ourselves in the first half,” Kirby said. “We wanted to get the ball in the high post, and they’re giving us the high post, and we were catching it and never really looking at the basket. We talked a lot at halftime about facing up and attacking the basket or making them come to us. We made a concerted effort to really get the ball to the high post, and then to attack the high post. We executed that better in the second half.”
Paw Paw would keep its distance for the third quarter, expanding their lead to 14 points, 37-23, thanks to a 9-2 run in the first 100 seconds. However, an 8-0 run by Vicksburg consisting of a Kendra Cooley free throw, DeVries basket, Hosner putback, and a long three-pointer by Makayla Allen, brought the game to 37-31. A 5-1 run by the Red Wolves would end the quarter, capped off by a three-pointer from Kailey Nichols, setting up the fourth quarter action.
Vicksburg was led in the scoresheet by Kendra Cooley with 13 points, Makayla Allen with 11 points, Hosner with nine points, DeVries with eight points, Zemitans with four points and Madison Cooley with two points.
Kirby said the schedule for the Bulldogs, who dropped to 13-1 and 8-1 in the Wolverine, didn’t get easier, as they played Division 3 top-ranked Niles-Brandywine Tuesday, a game they lost late and dropped their record to 13-2, the first-ever two-game losing streak for their senior class.
“We still have games to play, and we don’t have quite as much breathing room in the conference anymore, but it’s okay. The girls will respond, I know they will, they always have, and I expect them to respond again and come back. We’ll be fine,” Kirby said.
Paw Paw was led by Shaefer with 15 points, AJ Rickli with 13 points (a free throw in the first quarter made her the Red Wolves’ all-time leading scorer), Mecenzie Allen with eight points and Jordan Zent with six points.
“Vicksburg’s one of the better teams around, incredibly well-coached, and they got a gajillion seniors that played great and played for each other. To be able to come in here and get this win, we’ve had so many battles within the last few years that come down to one or two plays here and there, and then to have something like this happen, I can’t say enough about our team, Vicksburg’s team, they’re two great teams,” Paw Paw head coach Dan Thornton said.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
