Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
After falling by a score of 69-40 to Wausau West early in the season on Dec. 13, the Merrill girls basketball team would flip the script on the Warriors, beating West 64-56 on Tuesday night, Jan. 28.
“This was the best we have played all season for an entire game,” said Merrill head coach Joelene Weix. “We have had spots in games this season where we really played well. Tonight we did a great job putting it all together for a full game. West is a tough match up and they did a number on us the first time we played at the beginning of the season. It feels good to get this one back.”
The Wisconsin Valley Conference match-up was a back and forth battle throughout the first half of action. Neither team could gain much ground on the other, however the Jays were able to pull away for a four-point lead to head into the halftime break.
Coming out of halftime with a 27-23 lead, Merrill would continue to fight hard and control the game. Big plays from Courtney Krueger and Ashley Prebeg would lead the way for Merrill, as they extended their lead to eight points and took the 65-56 win.
“Courtney Krueger had one of her best all around games of her high school career,” coach Weix added. “She was very aggressive and looked to score throughout the game under a great deal of pressure. Prebeg also had a big night scoring and on the boards. She too, was very aggressive in the paint. We shot well from the floor and made our free throws, especially and the end of the game when we needed to seal the game.”
Courtney Krueger was the Jays leading performer on the night with 27 points along with two assists, three rebounds and a steal. Other top performers against West include: Ashley Prebeg (16 pts, 15 reb, 1 ast); Claire Drew (11 pts, 3 ast, 3 reb) and Erin Murray (4 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast).