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Versailles senior Clair Schmitmeyer hits for two of her game high 14 as
the
Lady Tigers rolled to a 75-31 victory over Arcanum Monday.
Versailles remained undefeated
with a 9-0 season record. CNO Photos by
Dylan Knoop
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Versailles
remains perfect with win over Arcanum
By George Starks
VERSAILLES- When it comes to girls hoops in Versailles, winning seasons
have become the rule versus the exception.
Monday, the Lady Tigers went to 9-0 on the season with a 75-31 victory
over Arcanum.
It was a nice Christmas present going into the break for head coach
Jackie Stonebreaker.
With the Trojans taking the early 3-0 lead on a bomb by Madison
O’Daniel, the Tigers fought back to eventually gain a 5-5 tie.
After that it was all Versailles as the Tigers led 19-5 after one,
47-18 at the break and 62-24 heading into the final eight minutes.
“It’s nice to head into the Christmas break with a win,” said
Stonebreaker. “The girls were really intense in the first half and the
start of the first quarter, it was really rocky. Once we got that first
score, we settled down and played our game.”
If there is one word that is synonymous with Lady Tiger basketball, its
defense and Monday’s game was no different.
After gaining the 5-5 tie midway through the opening frame, Versailles
employed a man press that created numerous turnover and allowed
Versailles to go on a 14-0 run to end the quarter.
Coupled with the fact Versailles never committed its first turnover
until the second quarter, the Tigers were in command with their defense
the rest of the way.
“When we settled into the press, we made them work really hard,” said
Stonebreaker. “When we went into the locker room I looked at the girls
and told them that they had worn them out. They are tired so we need to
keep going and keep doing what we’re doing and keep playing hard.”
Senior Clair Schmitmeyer led all scorers with 14 points in what might
have been a career game for her.
“She was all over the place tonight,” said Stonebreaker. “That’s what I
love about her. She doesn’t care how much playing time she gets or
about records or scoring, she just goes out there and plays hard. She’s
going to create fouls and will play some intense defense. She is the
sparkplug off the bench that we need.”
Right behind the 14 from Schmitmeyer was sophomore Elizabeth Ording
with 13 points of her own while junior Kami McEldowney added 12 in
support.
On the night, Arcanum Stevie Johnting scored her 1,000th point on a
triple from deep in the corner as the buzzer sounded to end the first
half.
Johnting finished the night with 12 points to lead the Trojans on the
floor.
“It was awesome that Stevie was able to come in here and get her one
thousandth point tonight,” said Arcanum coach Matt Grote. “Players like
Stevie don’t come along every day. She’s a great kid and comes from a
great family. She comes in everyday with the mindset that she wants to
get better.”
“She is such a special athlete,” said Stonebreaker. “The goal was to
hold her under 10 points. The girls took that challenge seriously. She
got 12 in the first half but we didn’t allow her anymore in the second
half.”
It was all about the Versailles press and Grote knew it wasn’t going to
be easy.
“We knew it was coming,” admitted Grote. “We did the best we could to
prep for it on short rest but they do a great job on defense. They run
ten kids at you on and off and they stay fresh all the time and they
just wear you down. Hats off to the coach and the team. That’s a really
good team right there.”
With the win, the Tigers go to 9-0 while Arcanum drops to 4-4 on the
season with the loss.
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Arcanum
freshman Gracie Garno battles to score against a stingy Versailles
defense.
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