OFHS girls suffer 1st loss to Shawano

Entering Friday’s game at Shawano, the Oconto Falls High School girls basketball team had never lost to its Bay Conference foe. That changed as back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Courtney Vomastic propelled the Hawks to a 40-30 win. It was Shawano’s first win over the Panthers since they rejoined the Bay Conference in 2007. Shawano coach Ryan Koenig said Vomastic’s shots in the second quarter gave the Hawks the confidence they needed to forge ahead. “That gave us our gap, and we never looked back,” Koenig said. “It let us relax and let us play solid basketball in the second half.” Shawano (4-8, 3-5 Bay) contained Oconto Falls’ top two scorers, senior Liz Manns and Bailey Wolf, with a combination of zone and man-to-man defenses. “We had a couple of people playing man, and a couple of people playing zone, so we threw something at them that they have not seen this year to mix things up,” Koenig said. Manns, who had been averaging 13.6 points per game, entered the game as the conference’s leading 3-point shooter. She was held to one field goal and three points. Wolf had six points, as did senior Kayla Virtues, who also grabbed a team-leading nine rebounds. “We just did not shoot well tonight. Then they take Liz Manns and Bailey Wolf out of the game like they did, putting defenders on them,” Kaczmarek said. “We just couldn’t find a way to score.” The Panthers (5-7, 3-5 Bay) shot 23 percent from the field and made seven of their 13 shots from the free throw line. Vomastic, who led the Hawks with 10 points, said her two shots energized Shawano. “It definitely hyped us up, and we had the momentum come our way and gave us more energy,” Vomastic said. “I was surprised. I couldn’t believe it.” Oconto Falls (30) Helmle 0 5-6 5, Manns 1 1-2 3, Wolf 2 1-2 6, Schroeder 1 0-0 2, Virtues 3 0-2 6, Krueger 3 0-0 6, Kratz 1 0-1 2 Shawano (40) Monfils 2 1-2 5, Morgan Klitzke 0 1-1 1, Megan Klitzke 2 2-2 6, Vomastic 2 2-2 10, Boda 3 2-2 8, Ainsworth 0 3-4 3, Hokenstad 2 0-0 4, Dunnam 1 1-2 3. Oconto Falls 9 3 5 13 — 30 Shawano 10 8 10 12 — 40