EUGENE, ORE. — The Bushnell Beacons (4-11) women's basketball team faced off against the Walla Walla University Wolves (2-11) on Saturday, Jan. 20. Coming into the game, Bushnell was led by the star senior guard Ayden Krupke, pacing the team in points, field goals, three pointers, steals, and minutes.
After Friday's loss against Lewis-Clark State, Bushnell looked to rebound literally and figuratively.
“So it's about shot selection first and foremost. Beyond the shot selection, it becomes about we know a shot is going up, let's go get it,” head coach Chad Meadors said before the game. “We had ten offensive rebounds last night. We need 14,15,16. We need to get those extra plays. When the shots don't go in, let's get to the line more, let's make that extra pass. I think we can get caught up in the shots we miss. There are times where we just have to be more consistent to play at the level we are accustomed to over the year."
Bushnell sophomore Maddie Gerheart made an instant impact, recording eight points in the first quarter while also corralling a rebound. Coming into the second, Bushnell was out-rebounding Walla Walla 12-10. An early layup in the second quarter by Krupke made it 19-14, Bushnell. The Beacons then locked in on defense and only allowed three more Walla Walla points in the next half of the quarter. Gerheart collected five more rebounds in that time, while senior Kenzie Peterson rebounded four of her own.
Part of the defensive surge was due to Walla Walla’s second-leading scorer, freshman Brooklyn Coe, going out with an injury. This allowed Bushnell to double-team Walla Walla’s star player, sophomore Jaylo Bello, who leads the team in a majority of its counting stats. While shutting down Walla Walla on offense, Bushnell was able to get consistent baskets for its offense, with most of the points coming in the paint.
Bushnell dominated the second quarter, with it ending 35-21. Bushnell’s success stemmed from dominance in the paint, collecting 31 rebounds, including 10 offensive, to already match its total from the last game. Walla Walla was only able to secure 18 rebounds, with its lack of size becoming more apparent as the game rolled along.
Starting the third quarter, Bushnell’s defense came out super aggressive. You would think it was illegal for Walla Walla to be in the paint on offense, with how well Bushnell was guarding them. Walla Walla only had two players on the bench, which led to little rest compared to Bushnell’s overflowing bench, which was able to keep its players well rested.
Halfway through the third quarter, all but two of Bushnell’s players who got minutes had secured rebounds. With a 20-point lead, the Beacons started rotating players, and it was evident that they were significantly less tired. Scoring slowed down in the third, but Bushnell was able to keep getting buckets, with the arena erupting after back-to-back 3s by sophomore Sabrina Flowers. The third quarter finished 53-28 with another show of dominance from the Beacon defense.
The fourth quarter was more of the same. This time, the back-to-back 3s were made by Jaycee Stiegeler, a junior from Oregon City. The defense continued to extinguish any hope of offense that Walla Walla had. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter and game, Bushnell had only allowed four points in the period. The game ended with Walla Walla on its biggest run of the game of six points. The final was 71-46 Bushnell, collecting 19 offensive rebounds to exceed Meadors’ hopes from the beginning of the game.
Rebounds and defense were the keys going into the game from Meadors. His team executed that extremely well, with their tenacity around the rim being apparent from the tipoff.
“Rebounding is an important part of the game; it's one thing that you can control,” Meadors said after every one of his players recorded a rebound. “You can't control whether the ball goes in the hoop every time. What you can control is how hard you rebound and how you attack the glass. Those are possessions, that's how you win games.”
Bushnell will next travel to Caldwell, Idaho, to face The College of Idaho on Friday, Jan 16. Walla Walla will look to get its first conference win against The Evergreen State College on its home court in College Place, Wash.