Westminster Lady Wildcats Maintain Steady Lead, Down Jennings

Before the Class 4 sectional game on Wednesday night, the Jennings Warriors and the seemed comparable on paper. Both teams were riding a seven-game winning streak.

Both teams had each played two postseason games, during which each team saw exceptional play from a host of young players; coming into this game, Westminster sophomore center Sadie Stipanovich had 30 postseason points and 16 postseason rebounds, topped only by Jennings sophomore guard Daizha McGee.

McGee, who has been named first-team all-conference in the Suburban East, had 43 points and 32 rebounds in postseason play alone.

Unfortunately for one team, the winning streak had to come to an end.  Westminster managed to earn an early lead and kept it for the entirety of the game, ultimately beating Jennings 58-47.

Led by sophomore guard Aaryiona Cook, Jennings came out firing. Cook, who averaged 9.2 points this season, had nine of the Warriors' 15 first-quarter points. At the end of the first quarter, Jennings was up 15-11.

However, it would be the only lead the Warriors would see. Westminster outscored Jennings 18-6 in the second quarter, and Jennings would not recover.  Westminster’s Courtney Powell, a junior guard averaging 10.8 points a game, would have seven points in the quarter, and go on to score a total of 12 for the game. Sophomore teammate Brooke Cusumano also added 12 points for the game. All of the Wildcats on the court contributed; this win was clearly a team effort, but the win was not without struggle.

 “I’m not real happy with our offensive execution,” Westminster Head Coach Steve Stipanovich said after the game. “We did get some baskets in transition, but our half-court offensive execution is one thing I’m going to take a hard look at.”

One thing that definitely wasn’t lacking for the Wildcats were baskets in the lane.  Westminster took advantage of a height mismatch; Wildcat center Sadie Stipanovich is 6-foot-2, which proved to be problematic for Jennings’ 5-foot-8 forwards.

However, while it was an advantage, height was definitely not the only factor—Stipanovich was on fire.  Averaging 8.8 points this season, she went for 18 points and seven rebounds Wednesday night. Westminster’s final two baskets would be from her, scoring from the paint.

“We do get plenty of open shots.  So I am happy with that,” coach Stipanovich said.  “It was a tough game; we never really got into our flow, but we did enough good things to win.”

After the second and third quarters, Westminster fans were comfortable as their Wildcats held a 10-point lead. But, with 4:45 to go in the fourth quarter, they suddenly were on their feet. Jennings made one final push, closing the lead to one point.

Jennings senior guard Chelsea Selvy contributed seven points during the fourth quarter, upping her game total to 13.  Teammate Aaryiona Cook’s points totaled 19, but it wouldn’t be enough. 

Westminster held on, and the Wildcats walked away with the win.

“I think the key to the game for us was rebounding,” Stipanovich said after the game. “But I thought we did an adequate job, not a great job.  We’ve been working on it all year; it’s been a struggle to get these girls to rebound.” 

But he’s not worried—he already has a plan for the Wildcats’ next game.  “Rebounding has not been our strength, but we’re going to try and make it our strength in the next couple days.”

The Wildcats will see St. Dominic (27-0) at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, at Lindenwood University.