2008 Basketball Girls

This appeared on NewsOK.com

By Justin Harper
Staff Writer
SHAWNEE — Once Christmas was past and everyone was healthy, Lomega started
winning. Winning all the time. Ten victories in a row, then 15, then 20. And after each
ensuing win for the defending Class B state champions, it wasn't so much, "The beat
goes on,” but more likethe beatings go on. Twenty points wins were routine, 30 no big
deal and there were some 50-pointers. And that explains why Varnum's players, coach
and fans went completely bonkers Friday night.

The scoreboard at St. Gregory's University explained things thoroughly as well.
Varnum 60, Lomega 40.

The area title was nice and the state tourney berth was the goal, but for Varnum, this
win was bigger than one game. After all, Lomega had all five starters back from last
season's gold-ball squad, it was ranked No.1 in Class B, came in at 25-2 and had not
lost since mid-December.
"When the game was over, the other team and their fans were ecstatic, like they had
just won the state championship,” said Lomega star Rachel Wilczek. "We were
all telling each other to remember that. It was kind of humiliating.”

Lomega hasn't been in the business of humiliation for quite a while. Just ask the
Raiders' opponents. But Friday, the tables were turned.

"(Coach Kevin Lewallen) brought that point up,” said Wilczek. "Blowing people
away didn't help us as much as playing good teams would have.”

Lomega will play a good team tonight. The Raiders face New Lima today at 6:30 p.m
. in an elimination game. The winner advances to next week's state tournament at State
Fair Arena.. New Lima, which is 23-5, beat Boynton Friday in a loser's bracket game.
Lomega defeated New Lima 70-57 in a regional final last week.

Varnum, 25-2, heads off to the state tourney with a ton of momentum and with its
star player soaring. Kodi Morrison, a junior, scored a game-high 33 points for the Whippets.

Lomega's big-scoring standout Wilczek was held to a career-low three points. Hillary
Winter had 14 points and Kylie Castonguay 12.

"I got shots off, but I just couldn't hit anything,” Wilczek said. "And their girl who scores so many points (Morrison), it was her that was guarding me and she was just dang good.”

Though unfamiliar with losing, the Raiders were resilient. They wasted no time
spinning things forward to today's game and next week's state tourney.

"Nobody's crying,” Wilczek said. "We're all really mad. We talked about what we
have to do. Last year we lost our last regular season game before the playoffs
started. So we know how to turn this into a positive.”