Wellington girls win the Mulvane Tournament Championship with gritty win over Winfield

January 29, 2022 Cueball

Mulvane Tournament MVP Wellington Ali Zeka with the shot inside.

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington girls added another first-place trophy to the trophy case with a 48-28 victory against Winfield in the Mulvane Wildcat Classic Championship Saturday evening.

However, the game was a much better game against Winfield than the two previous contests. The Vikings gave Wellington all it could handle for the first three quarters before the Crusaders finally secured victory with two quick buckets at the 3:50 mark in the fourth when Airalyn Frame hit a 3-pointer followed by a quick steal and layup in a matter of three seconds, changing the score from 35-20 to 40-20.

“(Winfield head coach) Jason VenJohn had a great game plan against us,” said Eric Adams, Wellington head girls basketball coach. “He threw a lot of junk defenses at us and as a result, they contested a lot of our shots.”

Nevertheless, Wellington still won by 20 in front of a spirited crowd at Mulvane gymnasium. Unlike the first two games Wellington played against Winfield, this win didn’t come so easily. The Crusaders had a terrible shooting night both from the field and at the free-throw line. Winfield, with its size, played Wellington toe-to-toe inside the paint.

“It was a gritty win,” Adams said. “We couldn’t really get anything flowing and again that is a credit to their defense.”

Valerie Norwood breaks the Winfield press in the first half.

Crusaders still won the defensive battle, holding Winfield to single digits all four quarters. Wellington outscored Winfield 13-8 in the first quarter, 10-8 in the second, 12-4 in the third and 13-8 in the fourth.

Frame led the Crusaders with 16 points and Valerie Norwood had 12. The Duke had five 3-pointers while Winfield had two. The Vikings were led by 6-2 sophomore Aleah Moree, who had 15 points.

Wellington senior A. Zeka and Airalyn Frame celebrate after getting Mulvane trophy.

The Crusaders now officially start the second half of the season. They are currently 13-0 and the only undefeated team in Class 4A. Subsequently, they are currently ranked No. 1 in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll – and should remain there again next Tuesday.

“We are as healthy as we have been all season,” Adams said. “Maddie Nance, for instance, has been fighting injuries all season and she is slowly getting better. She had some key moments off the bench tonight.”

Wellington will travel to El Dorado on Friday and has a rematch with Collegiate. The Crusaders then embark on the second half of the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div. IV schedule as Wellington is vying for their second league title in school history.

Wellington 48 Winfield 28
Winfield — 8 8 4 8 — 28
Wellington — 13 10 12 13 – 48
Winfield: Moree 15, Shelton 7, Curtis 2, Green 2, Driver 2. Total: 8 (2) 6-11 28. Wellington: Frame 16, Norwood 12, B. Zeka 7, A. Zeka 7, Gerten 4, Nance 2. Total: 13 (5) 7-17 48.

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Ali Zeka won the Most Valuable Player award at the Mulvane Tournament.

Here were the all-tournament teams:

A. Zeka – Wellington

Norwood – Wellington

Frame – Wellington

Crosby Curtis – Winfield

Amuniquie Cavitt – Wichita North

Teagan Garrison – Mulvane

Moree – Winfield

Melissa Ebenkamp – Conway Springs

Karlie Kanaga – Mulvane.