After a lopsided home loss, the Baker University women’s basketball team rebounded quickly winning two games against solid opponents in the Park Classic in Parkville, Mo.
In the Friday nightcap of the Park Classic, senior Amanda Yates scored 23 points to lead the Wildcats over Park University, 68-59. Park entered the season just outside the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I preseason poll.
Yates said it was great to see the way her team responded after a disappointing 75-48 loss to Sterling College.
“After playing so poorly against Sterling, we came back really strong against two very good teams,” Yates said. “It was nice to see us play that way over the whole weekend.”
Head coach Susan Decker said she was proud of the way her team responded after a tough loss.
“I thought our kids came back with a lot of heart, character and determination,” Decker said. “I was a little concerned coming into these two games because I knew the level of competition was going to be very good, but our kids played well on both nights.”
Baker returned to the court Saturday afternoon to take on the Ottawa University Braves. The ‘Cats won 53-48. The Braves entered the season ranked No. 9 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll.
Decker said the play of junior Allie Heinen was a major factor for the team’s success over the weekend.
“Allie played terrific all weekend,” Decker said. “On Saturday she had to guard Ottawa’s most athletic player, Crystal White, a transfer who is very, very athletic. Allie held her to eight points and one rebound. She was a big difference for us against Ottawa.”
Along with her great defense, Heinen had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
“Allie plays such good defense you forget she can score, too,” Decker said. “She is a very hard-nosed kid. You know what she is going to bring to the floor every night.”
Another aspect of the weekend that pleased Decker was the play of her bench players, especially sophomore transfer Heidi Compton.
“Heidi is playing very well for us off the bench,” Decker said. “She gives us quality minutes and points, which is definitely a big help.”
Compton said coming off the bench means players need to bring excitement to the game.
“You have to come into the game with as much intensity as the starters and not let up,” Compton said.
The fact that the entire team collectively raised its level of play was very exciting, Compton said.
“I didn’t expect for us to play that well against such good teams,” Compton said. “We played to a level that I haven’t seen yet. It was awesome, we came in and got the job done.”
Senior Molly Ediger said the wins might serve as a confidence booster for the ‘Cats.
“We finished off the games at Park,” Ediger said. “We got two big wins after a beating. It should give us confidence for the rest of the season. It definitely got me excited so hopefully we can carry this into conference play.”
The Wildcats opened conference play Thursday against William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. The results of the game were unavailable at press time.
The Wildcats will look to continue their winning ways at 2 p.m. Saturday against Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.
