WYNOT — At least the 2023-24 season has ended with a win that the Wausa girls basketball team was expected to claim and a loss that the squad can chalk up as one of top effort.
The Lady Vikings wrapped up a 5-17 campaign with a 61-28 Subdistrict D2-6 semifinal loss to the powerhouse Wynot Lady Blue Devils (17-1) on Feb. 13, but they did claim a 37-28 win over the Winside Lady Wildcats (1-18) in the bracket’s opening round contest on Feb. 12.
Wausa was led by senior Sienna West (12 points, three steals), sophomore Taylor Dawson (10 points, six rebounds) and senior Hadley Vanness (seven points, five rebounds) in the win over Winside that saw the Lady Vikings build a big lead through three quarters.
“We struggled a little with some turnovers and didn’t shoot free throws very well, but we executed some things both offensively and defensively we wanted to do,” Wausa head coach Shane Anderson said. “We had a strong first quarter and made some outside shots. Defensively, we started strong, then gave up some offensive rebounds and let them back into the game at the end of the first when I thought we could have had a seven- to eight-point lead.”
The third quarter allowed the Lady Vikings to gain separation and the defense spearheaded most of the efforts as Dawson displayed an ability as a lockdown player on that side of the ball.
“Our inability to finish at the free-throw line made the score seem closer than it felt,” Anderson said.
West said the win was a welcome one and allowed for a breath of normalcy Wausa needed.
“We played really good, and we executed our plan very well,” West said. “Then we went to go play Wynot that next night; we stuck to our game plan and tried as hard as we could. They’re just a good team. Things didn’t go the way we wanted.
“I was happy that we got that first one because anything can happen. We could have lost and went home a night earlier. I think getting that first one really got us excited and ready to go play Wynot.”
The Lady Blue Devils used a 21-3 first quarter to set the tone as Dawson wrapped up a solid sophomore year with a 17-point performance.
“We knew we would have to play our best basketball and be able to withstand their first punch and the press they would throw at us,” Anderson said. “We came out and won the second quarter (12-11). It seems like every game, we have a couple quarters that we just can’t get shots to fall; the first and third were those quarters. The first was probably more turnover-related; the third, we had good looks. We just couldn’t keep the game at that 15-point mark.”
Anderson said the record may be what it is, but the Lady Vikings battled despite struggling to score all season.
“The girls realize that more shots have to get put up in the summer and our skill level has to continue to increase as we will again have to rely on some young girls for at least one more year,” Anderson said. “It wasn’t the year we hoped for, but we have some great young ladies on this team that have been through a lot of highs and lows over the last few years. They are great teammates, are respectful and work hard. I’m very proud of them from that standpoint.
“We are going to greatly miss our two seniors. Sienna was a three-year starter and Hadley a twoyear starter. They both were good outside shooters for us and were leaders for our team. Hadley is one of the best teammates I have been around; she is hard on herself, but so positive with every other player on the team. Sienna has been a strong statistical producer for the last three years, so we will have to try to replace that along with her ability to hit shots at big times.”
Vanness and West are both sad to see their days as Lady Vikings come to an end, but they are optimistic about how things will go without them.
“My time here is done, but I think these girls have a whole lot of potential,” Vanness said. “We have a lot of younger girls that are quality. We started some freshmen this season and I know they have the confidence now to go out there next year as sophomores and juniors and even the freshmen coming up. I have a whole lot of confidence in the next few years for this team.
“Each one of them brings their own special thing to the table, and combine all that together, I think they have all the qualities to be successful.”
Anderson is looking up with six returners expected in 2024-25 who should possess a lot of veteran experience, including freshmen who learned fast.
“Like any program, you get paid back what you put in, so we have to ramp up in the offseason and realize that if we want to set big goals that we have to earn those opportunities,” Anderson said. “We will have two seniors next year and a couple of juniors that will have started for three years — that’s exciting. We just need to develop those players into more offensive threats as I feel we can play defense with anyone.
“The summer is just about hours in the gym, improving strength and speed as well as the skill and shot development. We will hit the team camp tour in June, but the work is put in during the early morning hours and evenings.”
West will have nothing but good memories of her days with the Lady Vikings.
“Overall, even though we didn’t have the record we wanted or we didn’t win as many games as we hoped, we had a really good team connection and team bonding, and we never had really any drama,” West said. “We just all got along and we all had a good time with each other. We made the best out of the moments that we had and it was just a really fun team.”
