The Varsity Girls Basketball Team took on the Westminster Wildcats at home and won, 69-54, Jan. 28.

At the end of a competitive first quarter the Wildcats led Westminster, 16-14.

“We all realized we needed to pick it up after the first quarter,” Jessica Moore, guard, said. “We all talked to each other and realized we needed to work together to win.”

The Wildcats outscored Westminster, 16-9, in the second quarter, rounding out a first half in which the Wildcats recorded eight steals.

“We always look for steals,” Mr. James Alsup, head coach, said. “We try to get in passing lanes, pressure the ball and try to trigger our transition game off of steals.”

In the first half Kelsey Tepen, forward, poured in 11 points to propel the Wildcats to a 32-25 lead at the half.

“Kelsey [Tepen] is a great player,” Mallory Proffer, guard, said. “She rebounds well and knows how to get those extra points.”

With the Wildcats up, 40-31, with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter, Lindsey McCoy, forward, was whistled for a foul which prompted a response from Coach Alsup.

Coach Alsup was almost immediately called for a technical foul which gave Westminster four shots from the line.

“We attacked the rim really hard, and I didn’t feel the official was calling it fair both ways,” Coach Alsup said. “So, when I mentioned that to him he thought I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

Following the technical the Wildcats went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 45-35.

“Whenever something like that happens Torie [Allen] gets us all together,” Moore said. “She helped us brush it off, and it didn’t even bother us.”

At the beginning of the fourth quarter the Wildcats held a 48-40 lead. Westminster’s Kayla Armstrong, guard, had 17 of her team’s 40 at the beginning of the fourth.

“She’s definitely a great player,” Coach Alsup said. “But we tell our girls that a good team will beat a great player every time.”

The Wildcats outscored Westminster, 21-14, in the fourth to close out a convincing victory.

“Making our last couple of shots was big,” Proffer said. “Everyone gave it their all to finish the game.”

Tepen finished with 20 points and Moore recorded 17.

The Wildcats entered Tuesday’s game as the second ranked team of large schools in the St. Louis area, trailing only Edwardsville, with a record of 14-2.

The next game for the Wildcats will be on the road against Lafayette, Jan. 31.