Lady Wolves take first loss

BURLINGTON — After 19-straight double-digit wins, the Winfield-Mount Union girls basketball team finally had an off day on Friday night.

The eighth-ranked (1A) Wolves were downed 50-35 against No. 12 (2A) Mediapolis in the 2023 Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout championship.

“We just couldn't get it to click on the offensive end, and (Mediapolis) showed up,” said WMU head coach Mendy McCreight. “They held us to 35 points, and that's the least amount we've ever scored.”

The Wolves took some bumps in the first half, most notably starting guard Keetyn Townsley picking up two first quarter fouls, which kept her out of the majority of the first half. Luckily, a seven-point first quarter from Melina Oepping kept WMU within three, at 14-11, after the first buzzer, and Mediapolis’ lead was 23-17 at the half.

The hits kept coming for the Wolves. Although Townsley was back in the third quarter, other starting guard Josie Nelson went down with an upper-body injury while the game was still close in the third quarter, and the Wolves were once again playing short-handed.

Mediapolis led by as much as 14 in the third quarter, but the Wolves cut it down to 34-24 after a key five-point stretch from Anna Anderson to close out the third. The Bulletes, however, stayed hot in the fourth quarter, and WMU could never get back into it.

“It's a good eye-opener for them, that this happened,” said McCreight. “We've just got to build from it and rise above.”

Oepping led the way with 14 points in the loss. Keely Malone scored six. Anderson finished with five. Nelson and Bradie Buffington scored four each, and Townsley finished with two.

The Wolves are now 19-1 on the season. They will next play in the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union girls basketball regionals, where they will host either Holy Trinity Catholic or Wapello in a quarterfinal game on Feb. 14.