McPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson High School Girls Basketball team defeated Circle on Saturday, Jan. 17, behind junior Rylie Whitfield’s career-high 23 points.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, McPherson pulled away in the second quarter thanks to Whitfield’s stellar first half and the team’s stifling defense. Whitfield had 19 points by halftime, the same number of points that Circle had as a team going to the locker room.
The Bullpups forced 29 turnovers, had 17 steals, and allowed just 32% shooting, including 17% from three. McPherson outscored Circle 33-17 in the second half to pull away and win 64-36.
Whitfield shot did not miss a single shot, shooting 7/7 on the floor and 6/6 from three. Karlie Cooper added 10 points for McPherson, also a career high. Amarie Lowery had eight points, and Brooke Doile had seven points.
The Bullpups are now 5-6 overall on the year, 4-1 in AVCTL-3 play, placing them in the top spot in the league, just ahead of Buhler and Mulvane, who have a 3-1 league record. The Pups will host El Dorado on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. before preparing for the Mid America Classic tournament Jan. 29-31.
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
McPherson: 12-19-14-19
Circle: 9-10-15-2
McPherson: Whitfield – 23, Cooper – 10, Lowery – 8, Doile – 7, Alexander – 5, M. Sandbo – 5, Alvord – 2, Paulsen – 2, Blake – 1, A. Sandbo – 1.
Circle: Coble – 9, Smith – 7, Fitzwilliams – 6, Patty – 5, Wittlake – 4, Oliver – 3, Swilley – 2.
