BLANCHARDVILLE - Juda's rise to the top of the Six Rivers East slowed down after a 65-59 loss to Pecatonica Thursday.
"We had a lot of heart and determination out there," Juda head coach Curt Brown said. "We knew going in that if we could keep (Kimee Chandler) under 20 (points), we'd be set well. She is so talented you wonder if as a team you worry too much about her. I felt like the rest of (Pecatonica's) team did a great job stepping up. They are a talented team all through."
The Panthers and Vikings couldn't be any further apart offensively. Juda relies heavily on its post duo of senior Heather Boeke and sophomore Ellen Kiser, both are taller than six feet. Pecatonica has a guard-based offense that relies heavily on Chandler, a senior and a UW-Milwaukee recruit.
"It's two different styles and one of the teams is going to win style-wise. We ended up playing more out of our forte and a little more up-and-down than we wanted to," Brown said.
Boeke and Kiser combined for 32 points and 18 rebounds. Chandler had 25 points, eight rebounds, five steals and five assists.
"Kimee's our lead. She had some fantastic plays and some huge baskets," Pecatonica head coach Tom Wilkins said. "She did her part and the team responded. Our bench did a nice job. They gave us a lot of spark tonight. It was a nice team win."
Chandler struggled with her shot in the first quarter, scoring just three points, including a coast-to-coast layup on a steal. By halftime, Chandler scored 11 points, including a jumper with two seconds left in the half.
"I started driving in towards the basket and getting quick little shots," Chandler said of her second-quarter rebound. "My team just really brought everything together. We gelled tonight. Everything just clicked."
With few players to play the post on defense, Wilkins asked Chandler to guard Kiser and, at times, Boeke.
"It's definitely different. I'm used to guarding these quick guards instead of a (6-foot, 3-inch) post," Chandler said.
Pecatonica opened the game on top and led 15-13 after the first quarter. Megan Rindy drained two 3-pointers in the frame to pace the scoring for the Vikings.
In the second, Pecatonica's quick defense forced Juda into several turnovers. After trailing 26-25 with 2 minutes, 28 seconds left in the half, Chandler guided the Vikings back on top. Chandler hit a free throw and freshman Emma Marion and senior Amanda Schoepp hit baskets down low after a pair of steals. Brown then called a timeout with his team suddenly down five with two minutes to go. By the time Chandler hit the final jumper, Pecatonica led 39-29.
"We were trying to bring pressure to the guards and make their entry passes difficult. I thought we did a real nice job with that," Wilkins said.
Juda continued to get looks in the post in the second half, but could only get back to within seven points until the final minute of the game, when the difference fell to six for a possession.
"Our girls played really hard. But it just seemed like we couldn't get over that seven-eight point hump," Brown said.
Chandler did her part, knocking down a pair of three point shots in the third, including one at the buzzer. After receiving the inbound pass at midcourt, Chandler waited until the five-second mark to slowly dribble forward. At the three-second mark, Chandler popped a shot from 25-feet and drilled it, giving Pecatonica (4-2, 2-1) a 55-42 lead.
"I told the kids before the game started that this was a huge game for us. This was the start of the big and crucial games and we got through it," Wilkins said. "The kids responded well."
Alisha Esselstein scored 10 points for the Vikings before fouling out in the fourth. In all, eight Vikings scored.
Seven Panthers scored, with Kiser (18) and Boeke (14) leading the way. C.J. Dunwiddie had nine points and Lauren Dunwiddie added eight.
Juda (3-2, 0-1) has come a long way since Dec. 2008. The Panthers reached the regional semifinals last season and had just earned a nod as the 14th ranked team in Division 4, according to the WisSports.net Coaches Poll.
"It's been a long haul to get to a competitive level with the Pecatonicas and Black Hawks in the conference. To come out and play as hard as they did makes me proud," Brown said.
"We had a lot of heart and determination out there," Juda head coach Curt Brown said. "We knew going in that if we could keep (Kimee Chandler) under 20 (points), we'd be set well. She is so talented you wonder if as a team you worry too much about her. I felt like the rest of (Pecatonica's) team did a great job stepping up. They are a talented team all through."
The Panthers and Vikings couldn't be any further apart offensively. Juda relies heavily on its post duo of senior Heather Boeke and sophomore Ellen Kiser, both are taller than six feet. Pecatonica has a guard-based offense that relies heavily on Chandler, a senior and a UW-Milwaukee recruit.
"It's two different styles and one of the teams is going to win style-wise. We ended up playing more out of our forte and a little more up-and-down than we wanted to," Brown said.
Boeke and Kiser combined for 32 points and 18 rebounds. Chandler had 25 points, eight rebounds, five steals and five assists.
"Kimee's our lead. She had some fantastic plays and some huge baskets," Pecatonica head coach Tom Wilkins said. "She did her part and the team responded. Our bench did a nice job. They gave us a lot of spark tonight. It was a nice team win."
Chandler struggled with her shot in the first quarter, scoring just three points, including a coast-to-coast layup on a steal. By halftime, Chandler scored 11 points, including a jumper with two seconds left in the half.
"I started driving in towards the basket and getting quick little shots," Chandler said of her second-quarter rebound. "My team just really brought everything together. We gelled tonight. Everything just clicked."
With few players to play the post on defense, Wilkins asked Chandler to guard Kiser and, at times, Boeke.
"It's definitely different. I'm used to guarding these quick guards instead of a (6-foot, 3-inch) post," Chandler said.
Pecatonica opened the game on top and led 15-13 after the first quarter. Megan Rindy drained two 3-pointers in the frame to pace the scoring for the Vikings.
In the second, Pecatonica's quick defense forced Juda into several turnovers. After trailing 26-25 with 2 minutes, 28 seconds left in the half, Chandler guided the Vikings back on top. Chandler hit a free throw and freshman Emma Marion and senior Amanda Schoepp hit baskets down low after a pair of steals. Brown then called a timeout with his team suddenly down five with two minutes to go. By the time Chandler hit the final jumper, Pecatonica led 39-29.
"We were trying to bring pressure to the guards and make their entry passes difficult. I thought we did a real nice job with that," Wilkins said.
Juda continued to get looks in the post in the second half, but could only get back to within seven points until the final minute of the game, when the difference fell to six for a possession.
"Our girls played really hard. But it just seemed like we couldn't get over that seven-eight point hump," Brown said.
Chandler did her part, knocking down a pair of three point shots in the third, including one at the buzzer. After receiving the inbound pass at midcourt, Chandler waited until the five-second mark to slowly dribble forward. At the three-second mark, Chandler popped a shot from 25-feet and drilled it, giving Pecatonica (4-2, 2-1) a 55-42 lead.
"I told the kids before the game started that this was a huge game for us. This was the start of the big and crucial games and we got through it," Wilkins said. "The kids responded well."
Alisha Esselstein scored 10 points for the Vikings before fouling out in the fourth. In all, eight Vikings scored.
Seven Panthers scored, with Kiser (18) and Boeke (14) leading the way. C.J. Dunwiddie had nine points and Lauren Dunwiddie added eight.
Juda (3-2, 0-1) has come a long way since Dec. 2008. The Panthers reached the regional semifinals last season and had just earned a nod as the 14th ranked team in Division 4, according to the WisSports.net Coaches Poll.
"It's been a long haul to get to a competitive level with the Pecatonicas and Black Hawks in the conference. To come out and play as hard as they did makes me proud," Brown said.
