By George Calver, Standard Correspondent
The Woodstock girls basketball team stretched its winning streak to three in a row with a narrow 38-35 win Tuesday night at Green Mountain.
The victory accomplished a trio of things: It gave the team some revenge for an earlier loss to Green Mountain on home court; it brought the Wasps season record to 7-8; and it confirmed that the Wasps could trail at the half, but could battle back.
Does the win signal that the third-quarter slump, that has plagued them at times, is a thing of the past? Perhaps.
“We really played a great third quarter, outscoring them 14-4,” coach Justin Smith said.
Smith’s emphasis on the man-on-man defense — the only defensive scheme in this years’ playbook — is showing results now. The Wasps allowed Green Mountain only 12 points in the entire second half.
Maddie Schulz led the way for Woodstock, notching 10 points and dominating the court with 19 rebounds. Mariah Luce has nine points, including two critical three- pointers in the third quarter when Green Mountain and the Wasps were duking it out for the lead.
The next test comes tomorrow night at Dailey Gym when the green and white take on Twin Valley at 7 p.m. The Wasps will be out to avenge an early-season 27-20 defeat on the road and even out their win-loss record. And, with only five regular-season games remaining, the Woodstock girls will be out to improve their Division ll ranking for the important playoff seeding.
This article first appeared in the February 4, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.