PATIENCE PYAN and TINA L. SCOTT
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, the Merrill Varsity Girls Basketball Team hosted a conference match-up with the Wausau East Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks came ready to play and started the game with a 13-3 run. The Bluejays scored inch by inch trying to get back in it, but couldn’t stop them on defense, so the Lumberjacks’ score kept going up just as fast. The Merrill Girls got the score within 5 points (Merrill 15 – Lumberjacks 20) late in the first half, but it fell apart again, the Lumberjacks went on another 11-2 run, and the first half ended with the Lumberjacks up, 30-21.
The second half of this game went the way many other games have gone in the second half for the Bluejays. It started slow with neither team scoring for a bit, then the scores went back and forth for a while with both teams taking turns scoring, but Wausau East still kept the lead the entire time. Then the Lumberjacks went on little runs, systematically pushing the Bluejays right out of the game.
Scoring for Merrill was led by Junior Mia Ott (10 pts, 9 reb, 1 stl), Senior Prayla Pyan (8 pts, 6 reb, 2 blk), and Junior Sophie Wendorf (6 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast).
Box Score
Wausau East 60 @ Merrill 40
