WHITEHALL — For years, the young players that now make up much of Shelby’s roster have been able to overwhelm opponents with athleticism and length. While the competition level changed Monday in the Tigers’ varsity opener, the results didn’t.
Shelby swarmed Whitehall with its press, and the Tigers generated a ton of turnovers and easy baskets, romping to a 53-17 victory.
The standout was freshman Jayna Burmeister, who had a game-high 21 points, as well as eight rebounds and eight steals. Five freshmen dot the varsity roster in all, and their experience playing successfully together over the years means they’re not your typical freshmen.
“All five of them play travel (basketball),” Shelby coach Sarah Wolting said. “They’ve played a lot, and they’ve played a lot together too. We’ve scrimmaged. I know what they can do. I’ve seen them the whole time. They’re way more athletic than a lot of kids. I have five that I can bring up and do different things, and it’s awesome.”
After Whitehall hit a three-pointer to tie the game 5-5 early on, Shelby went into shutdown mode, ripping off the next 21 points. Many of those came on transition opportunities created by the press, though Burmeister also hit three three-pointers on the night. From there, the Tigers continued to stress the Whitehall ballhandlers, building the lead with more easy takeaways.
Burmeister’s length and speed makes her an ideal centerpiece of a press defense, and it enables Wolting to do a lot of different things with the other players on the defensive end, keeping opponents off balance.
“She moves so well and jumps so well, I can, on the play, say, ‘Go get this,’ or ‘Look for this,’” Wolting said. “They’ve played so much that they know the game a little bit better, maybe, than some girls I’ve had in the past. They can get to stuff. They’re just so athletic. They read the ball well.”
Among other area coaches and players, Burmeister’s pedigree was surely well-known. For fans who aren’t privy to scrimmages and practices, her outburst in her first varsity game was a statement of what to expect going forward. Wolting noted that knowing Burmeister the way she does, the freshman was likely less impressed with her performance than she was irked by a few close shots she did not convert.
Fellow freshman Michelle Peterson added 10 points, and another freshman, Ava Lamberg, pulled down six rebounds. The team racked up 21 steals in all.
The Tigers’ success on the press, at least early on, is likely to make or break the results of their games. Wolting said their half-court offense is not yet polished, which isn’t surprising given the youth of the team.
“That’s one thing that we’re going to have to work on in the next few weeks, especially,” Wolting said. “We live and die by the press just because that’s what they’ve always done, because they’ve been so much more athletic than other teams. But we’ve got to get better in the half-court.”
Still, the coach noted that the frenetic pace the young Tigers seem to prefer, while it might be stressful, also might prove to be fun to watch.
“We don’t have a lot of experience,” Wolting said. “We play a lot of helter-skelter, and that kind of drives me crazy at times, but a lot of times they get the job done with it. I think I’ve got to sit back and kind of let them play their game a little bit this year.
“It’s going to be a fun year because I do have different threats in different places, and that’s one thing that I’ve been stressing to the girls. If everyone does what they do (well), we’re going to be pretty tough.”
