Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
The Merrill girls basketball team came into Friday night, Jan. 17, tied with D.C. Everest in the Wisconsin Valley Conference with a record of 1-4. The teams appeared to be evenly matched, as neither team was able to build or hold a substantial lead. Merrill would come out on top in the back and forth battle which reached overtime, by a score of 47-45.
“It was a really nice win for us,” said Merrill head coach Joelene Weix. “We stuck with the game plan the whole game and had some chances to get a little cushion, but Everest did a nice job hanging in. We also got behind in parts of the game, but we were able to bounce back from their spurts.”
The first half of play saw the Jays trailing the Evergreens by six points with three minutes remaining. A nice 9-2 run to end the half for the Jays gave them a slight 21-20 advantage at the break. The second half of action was more of the same. Each time a basket was scored the other team had an answer. In the closing seconds of regulation Merrill was trailing the Evergreens 40-39, when the Jay’s Claire Drew hit a clutch three-point shot to give Merrill a 42-40 lead. Everest would hustle down the court and make a game-tying shot as the horn sounds, sending the game to overtime.
“The girls did just enough to hang on in overtime,” added coach Weix. “We were well balanced in scoring and I thought overall we played solid defense. I’m very proud of the girls, it was a big win for us!”
Leading performers for the Jays include: Courtney Krueger (14 pts, 2 ast, 3 reb and 2 stl), Reese Mrachek (9 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl and 1 blk), Claire Drew (8 pts, 5 ast and 1 stl), Erin Murray (7 pts, 4 reb and 1 ast) and Ashley Prebeg (7 pts, 5 reb and 1 blk).
The Lady Jay hoopers will be back on the court on Friday, Jan. 24, as they host Wausau East in another WVC battle. Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m. at the Merrill High School Fieldhouse.