'A long time coming’

DES MOINES — If it feels like the Winfield-Mount Union senior girls have been playing for a while, it’s because they have. The Wolves’ class of 2023 has been a major part of the squad since opening tip freshman year.

In fact, all five of the seniors currently starting for the state-bound Lady Wolves got playing time when they were just a freshman.

Back then, on a team that featured a lot of the current players’ older siblings, freshmen took up three of the Top-7 scoring roles. Melina Oepping scored 4.3 points per game. Bradie Buffington scored 4.3 and Keetyn Townsley scored 4.0.

Though not every day starters, Keely Malone scored 1.6 points per game as a freshman and Anna Anderson scored 1.1.

As the Class of 2023 moved up, the team just kept getting better. The Wolves have only lost seven games since their 12-11 freshman campaign, including an undefeated regular season in 2020-21.

The only thing stopping WMU from making it to three-straight regional finals was a pesky Catholic school from the Southeast Iowa Super Conference’s South Division. Coming into the 2022-23 season, the Wolves had lost to the Nikes three-straight years.

But in 2023, things looked different. An experienced WMU squad finally had what it took to go not just one step, but two steps further. After a tough regional quarterfinal win over Holy Trinity Catholic, the Wolves held off Notre Dame 57-54 to finally slay the Nikes, and then followed that up with a 52-47 win over North Mahaska in the regional final.

And after three-straight years of disappointment, it was finally time for the Wolves to celebrate.

“It's so relieving,” Oepping said. “It feels better than I thought it would.”

Now, the group of five seniors will finally get to play on the big stage.

“It's super cool, especially after losing to Notre Dame all three years,” said Townsley. “Finally beating them, and then winning this game and making it. It feels amazing.”

Not only was it a fresh of breath air for the Lady Wolves’ basketball team, but WMU girls sports in general. WMU had found success in both volleyball and softball in the past four years, but none of the teams had made it to the state tournament, that is until last Thursday night.

“It was just so surreal,” said Malone. “I knew we could do it.”

The WMU players were quick to point to their upbringing as credit to how they ended up with a state championship banner. The Wolves played under longtime head coach Mitch Wachs for the first three years on the team. Wachs was replaced by coach Mendy McCreight after stepping down at the end of a 30-year stretch.

“We see him at school every day, and he continues to encourage us,” said Buffington. “He's a great role model, and we'll forever be thankful that he's in our lives.”

Wachs had been at the helm for four of the Wolves’ eight previous appearances. The Wolves made the Class 1A state tournament under Wachs in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.

“He was amazing,” Oepping said. “ can't take any credit away from him. He's been building up with us since we were in junior high.”

Like Wachs, McCreight found instant success after becoming head coach at WMU. The 2000 WMU graduate has now coached 23 games for the school, and the Wolves have won 22 of them.

But of course, leading a team with so much talent can cause a lot of pressure. McCreight says all give of the seniors set a goal to make state at the beginning of the season, and she had to put in the extra work to make sure it got done.

“I don't even know how many hours I've stayed up watching game film, scouting, trying to do what's best and trying to get them where they need to be,” McCreight said.

Now, the Wolves look for win number 23. WMU gets the No. 6 seed and will play North Linn in the first round of the state tournament on Wednesday night at 6:45 p.m. It will be the fourth Class 1A quarterfinal of the week.

“It's always been a lifelong dream,” said Anderson.

It will be the Wolves’ first game at state since the 1998 state championship loss against Lynnville-Sully. The Wolves will need to beat North Linn and either Newell-Fonda or Woodbine to get back to the title game.