By Kory Carpenter

Record Sports Editor

Wright City girls basketball Head Coach Fred Ross preached consistency after his team’s 43-28 loss to Elsberry Monday night.

The Wildcats played with a tough Elsberry squad at times, looked lost at others, and Ross talked about the struggles young teams often face on the varsity level.

“After the first quarter, we really didn’t play very well,” Ross said. “It was just the fundamental stuff; bad passes, poor decisions. We’ve struggled lately at running the offense and playing a team game.”

After trailing 14-10 after the first quarter, the Wildcats (2-4) scored five points in the next two frames and trailed 32-15 heading into the fourth quarter.

An urgent Ross pleaded with his players to run the offense for most of Monday night’s game.

Elsberry pressed Wright City for most of the night, but the Wildcats had success beating the pressure.

It was the half-court sets that puzzled Wright City.

Against the Elsberry zone defense, Wright City guards drove down the baseline without any help on the wings, which led to double teams and turnovers.

Senior guard Savannah Bridges got caught a few times, and was visibly frustrated after the loss.

One of the few upperclassmen on the team, Bridges has become a leader during her final high school campaign.

“It gives you a lot of pressure because you know you need to do your best at all times,” Bridges said of her role on the team. “You just have to work through it the best you can and just play. You  have to work hard and tell the younger girls what to do, and you have to be the role model.”

Bridges led the Wildcats with 10 points.

“She played tough, but she was trying too hard in the first half,” Ross said. “She leads by example with her work ethic. I don’t try to put that pressure on her, but as a senior you want to win.”

Ross admitted that with a young team, winning isn’t always the only goal, which can be tough on upperclassmen who are desperate to win.

Junior guard Amy Janowski finished with six points, and sophomore forwards Abbey Jaspering and Alyssa Hart added four points a piece.

Ross liked the way his team performed in the fourth quarter, outscoring Elsberry 13-11 to cut the final deficit to 15.

“We’ll build on the first and fourth quarters,” he said. “But our basketball I.Q. isn’t as high as I thought it would be. We still have to think about things, instead of just doing them.”

The Wildcats travel to Bowling Green Thursday night before a two-week hiatus over Christmas break.

“We’ll get at it in the next couple of days,” he said. “And hopefully we’ll have a better showing against Bowling Green.”

Amy Janowski chases down a loose ball Monday night against Elsberry. Janowski finished with six points.                 Kory Carpenter photo.