WORTHINGTON -- The Worthington girls basketball team is 4-0 and has never looked better than Tuesday night in a one-sided victory over the Windom Area Eagles.
So what’s the Trojans’ potential this winter?
“Something big, I’m hoping,” said senior star Olivia Hayenga.
The Trojans of coach Eric Lindner had no less than five players reach double figures en route to a 93-53 victory over the Eagles. Worthington went on a 19-0 run early in the first half and scored the first 14 points of the second half to turn it into a rout.
“Oh my goodness,” said a smiling Hayenga, who led the Trojans with 16 points and eight assists. “We’ve had a couple really good games to start off the season, and after this, I’m loving it. This was an awesome game.”
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Hayenga, an athletic 5-foot-10 wing, drained four of the Trojans’ 10 3-pointers. Talented 6-1 sophomore Madison Beckmann shot 3-for-7 from deep en route to 13 points, while 6-0 junior center Ellie Weg had 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the floor.
Tarren Spartz, another fine 6-0 junior post player, had 10 points, while senior guard Dasia Potter scored 12 and smooth senior point guard Brooklyn Scheitel-Taylor contributed about five steals.
Weg and Spartz combined for 14 rebounds, while Hayenga had five and reserve guard Regan Schaefer finished with six.
It was a dominant effort for the Trojans, who out-rebounded the Eagles 53-33 and forced 26 Windom Area turnovers.
“Credit to coach Lindner, man. He does an outstanding job,” said Windom fourth-year coach Jacob Johnson. Then he smiled.
“I think he’s been coaching the Worthington girls longer than I’ve been alive, and that was maybe evident tonight,” Johnson said. “They took advantage of our game plan. We really wanted to pack it in the paint (in a 2-3 zone) and take away that part of their game, but credit to Olivia Hayenga and some of their other girls who stepped up and hit big outside shots.
“They certainly made it tough on us tonight.”
Hayenga opened the scoring with back-to-back treys, then ignited the 19-0 run with another triple. The run featured seven points by Beckman and a pretty left-handed layup on the run following a steal by Spartz.
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Scheitel-Taylor scored three early hoops in the second half as the Trojans poured it on.
All in all, Lindner was impressed with his team.
“They were hitting shots, moving the basketball, getting the ball inside and crashing the boards,” said Lindner, who is 383-170 in 20-plus years as head coach of the Trojans. “You couldn’t ask for much more.”
Windom (3-2), got 20 points from talented freshman guard Hadley Sammons. Senior KJ Huska canned three 3-pointers and 6-0 sophomore Tristyn Maras had eight rebounds.
The Trojans’ first three victories this season all came on the road. None was as impressive as Tuesday night’s against a solid Windom program that finished 13-8 last year and split two games with Worthington.
“The biggest thing is keeping up our intensity,” Lindner said. “I challenged them tonight. I said, ‘This is our house and let’s start fast.’ And they did. Overall I think we played pretty well as a basketball team, and I really liked how they shared the ball.”
On Friday, the Trojans are at Pipestone Area while Windom Area entertains Murray County Central.
Windom -- 31 53
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Worthington -- 51 93
WINDOM (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) -- Kendyl Sammons 1-0-0-3, Hadley Sammons 0-6-8-20, Anja Nielsen 1-0-0-3, Haidyn Sammons 0-1-0-2, KJ Huska 3-0-0-9, Madi Hogan 2-0-0-6, Jenna Veenker 2-0-0-6, Tristyn Maras 0-2-0-4. Totals: 9-9-8-53.
WORTHINGTON (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) -- Brooklyn Scheitel-Taylor 0-3-0-6, Madison Beckman 3-2-0-13, Kamryn Spartz 0-2-0-4, Olivia Hayenga 4-2-0-16, Dasia Potter 2-3-0-12, Tarren Spartz 0-5-0-10, Newyouman Gora 1-2-0-7, Ellie Weg 0-7-1-15, Jorgia Lowe 0-1-0-2, Janessa Hamann 0-2-0-4, Phamananewyou Gora 0-2-0-4. Totals: 10-31-1-93.
