Wellington head girls basketball coach Kevin Hackerott said going into Saturday's game that Garden Plain's 5-5 guard Ann Pauly was the second best guard his team may face this year.
The best will be Andover Central's Tiffany Bias — and she's playing Wellington Tuesday.
The Crusaders got spanked for the first time this season when Garden Plain beat Wellington 56-37 in the third place game of the Mulvane Wildcat Classic tournament Saturday.
Garden Plain took a 14-4 first-quarter lead and was in front 26-8 at the half. Wellington played even ball in the second half, but the damage had already been done.
Pauly, a sensational dynamo on the wing, was a one-person wrecking crew scoring 22 points in the game — 17 of those in the first half. Jordan Hoheisal didn't do too badly either scoring 16 points — most of those in the fourth.
Erianne Adams scored 13 for Wellington, her season high.
Garden Plain kept Wellington's Dani Anderson in check holding her to a season low two points in the game, a field goal in the fourth quarter.
Wellington scored one field goal in the first half and only made eight for the game — three of them three-pointers.
But in the first quarter, Wellington was very much in the game. The Crusaders were getting the shots, but they weren't going in. And Garden Plain on the other side was not having much success either.
But then with a minute to play in the first quarter, Garden Plain went on a 10-point run that ended with a Pauly three-pointer at the buzzer that came from Never-Never Land.
Garden Plain led 14-4.
That set up a disastrous second quarter in which Garden Plain would outscore the Dukes 12-4 and win the battle of the boards and turnovers as well. Wellington scored all its points on four free throws.
When the quarter ended, the Wellington coaches wouldn't leave the bench for a couple of minutes while the girls left for the locker room.
The second half saw Adams hit a deuce marking the first Wellington score from the field in two quarters. By the end of the third Wellington was trailing 34-18.
Wellington would double its scoring output in the fourth, looking more like the team of old. Garden Plain still outscored the Crusaders 20-18 in the final stanza.
The Crusaders now play Andover Central which is No. 3 overall in the state of Kansas. Wellington won't see a more talented team this season. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.
Garden Plain 56 Wellington 37
Garden Plain 14 12 8 20 — 56
Wellington 4 4 10 18 — 37
Garden Plain: Hubert 6, Stuhlsatz 2, Dooley 2, Huheisel 16, Ledy 6, Potter 2, Pauly 22. Total 16 (3) 15-19 56. Wellington: Cornejo 2, Jenkins 2, Weber 4, Whaley 3, Barnes 2, Amrein 6, Kimball 2, Adams 13, Leatherwood 1, Anderson 2. Total: 5 (3) 18-27 37.
Wellington, Kan. —
