The Eureka Lady Tornadoes hit the road on Monday, Feb. 17, to take on the Fredonia Yellowjackets in a rescheduled contest. Owning the free-throw line with a stellar 76.2% shooting performance, the Tornadoes secured their second win over Fredonia this season with a commanding 67-43 victory. Senior Laynie Winfrey led the offensive charge, pouring in 27 points and dishing out four assists.
Eureka set the tone early, with Lydia Mason finding Winfrey at the top of the key for a three-pointer to open the game. Fredonia quickly answered with a triple of their own, but the Tornadoes stayed ag-gressive. On the next possession, Britta Mongeau weaved through three defenders and finished at the rim to push Eureka ahead. The teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, but Eureka gained the upper hand, closing out the first with a 20-11 lead.
Fredonia fought back in the second quarter, draining three quick three-pointers to close the gap.
The Tornadoes, however, weren’t about to let that momentum shift. Winfrey and Mongeau responded with three-pointers of their own. Later in the quarter, Winfrey made a sharp backdoor cut, took a pass from Mason, and dished it inside to Hannah Perrier, who converted the bucket and completed the and-one opportunity. By halftime, Eureka had extended their lead to 35-22.
The Tornadoes came out firing on both ends of the court in the third quarter, forcing several turnovers and outscoring Fredonia 23-9. The Yellowjackets managed a free throw to open the half, but Eureka wasted no time answering. Mongeau drained a triple, and soon after, Kimber Ptacek attacked the lane and found Alaina Westerman on the block for a layup. Westerman sank the free throw, adding another three-point play to Eureka’s tally. By the end of the third, the Tornadoes were in firm control, leading 5831.
With a comfortable advantage, Eureka rotated in their bench during the final quarter, allowing Fredonia to trim the margin slightly. However, the outcome was never in doubt, as the Tornadoes sealed the 67-43 victory at the final buzzer.
Stats and Scoring Leaders: POINTS: Winfrey 27, Mongeau 14, Elle Coulter 7, Mason 6, Ptacek and Perrier 5, and Westerman 3. REBOUNDS: Coulter 6, Winfrey and Perrier 5, Ptacek and Westerman 4, Arabella Shepherd 3 and Mason 2. ASSISTS: Ptacek 6, Winfrey 4 and Mongeau 3. STEALS: Ptacek 5 and Winfrey and Coulter 3.
