Defense has long been a priority for Plainwell girls’ basketball coach Tim Rieman.
“We hang our hat on our defense,” Rieman said. “We spend a good deal of time in practice on how we want to try to stop people and try to take them out of what they normally do.
“Every player has this mentality of not wanting to be scored on, so they are tenacious about it.”
That defense-first mentality was on full display when Plainwell hosted Dowagiac in a Wolverine Conference non-divisional game on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The Trojans limited the Chieftains to five or fewer points in each quarter, including a scoreless fourth quarter. The result was a 54-11 win for Plainwell, which improved to 2-1.
Along with shining on the defensive end of the floor, the Trojans also had their best shooting night of the season.
Plainwell scored in double figures in each of the first three quarters, including a 20-point eruption in the second stanza.
“It was good for us to see the ball go in on a consistent basis,” Rieman said. “After shooting horribly against Mattawan last week in a two-point loss, the girls were happy with how they shot the ball.”
Lauren Vandersteldt led the Trojans offensively, going for 11 points to go with several blocked shots on defense.
Rebecca Gibson added nine points, with Kennedy VanderLugt and Paige Timpe adding eight points each. Vannessa Robinson and Alex Gabala chipped in with four points each.
“I thought Vannessa and Rebecca did a good job of running the offense for us,” Rieman said.
Given the size of Plainwell’s lead—the Trojans were up 10-2 after one quarter and 30-6 at halftime—Rieman was able to get all his players time on the court.
“This was our second time out of three games to get everyone in the game,” he said. “That is definitely a plus for team morale. We have a pretty tight-knit group and they enjoy seeing one another succeed.”
Plainwell backed up that victory with another lopsided win, upending Paw Paw 46-28 on Friday, Dec. 20.
“It was a solid road win against a divisional opponent,” Rieman said.
The game was close early, as the Trojans led 11-10 after one quarter. But Plainwell got some separation in the second stanza thanks to an 18-11 advantage and pulled away in the second half.
Lauren Vandersteldt scored a team-best 11 points, with Gibson, Timpe and Robinson went for eight each.
The Trojans are now off until Tuesday, Jan. 7, when they host Battle Creek Lakeview.
“Our focus during break will be getting back to the basics working on our fundamentals both offensively and defensively,” Rieman said.
Plainwell will also participate in its annual Alumni Game on Thursday, Dec. 26th, to raise money for the Glenn Beier Memorial Scholarship. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
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