ARGYLE — It didn’t take the Orioles (14-10) long to jump out ahead of the Madison Abundant Life/St. Ambrose Challengers (1-23) in the opening round of the WIAA Division 5 playoffs on Feb. 23. Heavy defensive pressure, offensive ball movement and Argyle’s overall speed helped the home squad jump out to a 44-14 halftime lead on the Christian school, and in the end Argyle won 76-26.
In the second half, that pressure continued after a brief pause. In the opening minute of the second half, the Orioles had multiple turnovers and accidentally put up a shot on their own hoop on a defensive rebound. Coach Jen Wellnitz called a full timeout and demanded her players refocus.
The Orioles responded and outscored ALSA 32-10 the rest of the way.
Senior Grace Ganshert scored a game-high 28 points to lead Argyle. She is now within 51 points of joining the 1,000-point club. Maggie Godfrey added 22 points, including 14 in the second half. Alyssa Stadola tallied 11 points, with Jenny Helfvogt contributing nine points and Chesney Leigh six. Leigh and Ganshert dominated in the second half, swiping the ball away from the Challengers with ease either from jumping into passing lanes or simply flipping away a dribble.
Up next for Argyle is a road game at No. 3-seed Fall River (14-11), which defeated Madison Country Day (7-17) 64-21. The winner will face either Black Hawk or Burlington Catholic Central Feb. 25 in the regional final.
