Wolves hang on against Crusaders

WINFIELD — Winfield-Mt. Union ended strong in their Class 1A Region 8 first-round matchup against Holy Trinity on Tuesday night.

The No. 8 Wolves move on after downing the Crusaders 56-42.

It took WMU awhile to find its groove in the regional contest as turnovers plagued the Wolves through the first half.

Holy Trinity kicked off the scoring with a three from Mary Kate Bendlage, but Melina Oepping followed up with six straight points for the Wolves to make it 6-3.

After two and a half minutes of action, the Wolves built up a 9-5 lead after a three from Keely Malone, but Bendlage scored two followed by a converted and one to put the Crusaders up 10-9 with 4:30 remaining.

For the Wolves, it was their final deficit of the night.

Beginning at the 3:53 mark with a Keetyn Townsley three, the Wolves outscored the Crusaders 10-2 to make it 19-13 after one.

Holy Trinity scored two at the start of the second, but the Wolves’ Bradie Buffington followed with four straight to match the Wolves’ largest lead to that point, 23-15.

The Crusaders began to fight their way back with 5:36 to go.

WMU struggled to put the ball in the basket, scoring just five points the rest of the way out, while HTC dropped in nine.

At the break, Winfield-Mt. Union’s lead was down to four, 28-24.

“We played a good first quarter as we came out strong,” Winfield-Mt. Union head coach Mendy McCreight said. “In the second quarter they out scored us as we made a few turnovers that we don't normally make but being back in action since nearly two weeks of practice. We didn’t let that stop us.”

In the second half, the Wolves began to click.

A Townsley three and a Buffington two jumped started a 14-7 run until the final minute of the third period.

Seven of those 14 came Oepping who scored seven straight. Josie Nelson capped off the run with a layup with just 22 second remaining.

“I was just trying to get the ball inside and make a move and finish through,” Melina Oepping said. “I wanted to get to the line.”

The Crusaders scored their final bucket of the quarter with just 13 seconds to go, giving the Wolves a 42-33 lead heading into the final quarter of action.

To start the fourth, Winfield-Mt. Union struggled to score once again, but the Wolves were able to hang on defensively.

Their first basket came from Buffington at the 5:12 mark to make it 44-35.

Holy Trinity answered back with a three from Teagan Snaadt with 4:57 on the clock to bring the Crusaders within six, 44-38.

That’s as close as they would come as the Wolves held them to just four points to the final buzzer.

Meanwhile, WMU went on to score 12 of its own to seal the deal.

“We just started to get a little bit more connected, like we usually play,” Oepping said. “We started playing together, like we usually do. We started seeing the open spots and not trying to force it and our shot started falling.”

Melina Oepping led the Wolves with 17 points, eight rebounds, two steals and one assist in the win. Bradie Buffington followed with 14 points, 10 boards and three assists. Keely Malone had nine points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal. Keetyn Townsley had eight points, two assists, one rebound and four steals. Anna Anderson had six points, three boards, two assists and one steal. Josie Nelson ended with two points, two rebounds and two assists.

“The girls played hard and tough until they saw that victory,” McCreight said. “We were glad to get back into the game routine. I’m very proud of the effort and dedication these girls put in time after time.”

Winfield-Mt. Union (20-1) will play host to Burlington Notre Dame (18-6) on Friday