Lady Dukes drop two more but are still optimistic

The Wellington high school girls basketball team had another tough week, with losses to Oberlin on Wednesday and Brooklyn on Saturday. Their record is now 2-12, and 2-6 in the Patriot Athletic Conference.

In the game against Oberlin, the girls fought hard, and even had a three-point lead at the half. But turnovers in the fourth quarter allowed Oberlin to take the game with a 41-37 win.

"We had a break down in our defense and we got turnovers when we needed baskets," coach Marty Yankof said.

Two girls played a good game against Oberlin. According to Yankof, Jackie Bankston played her best game of the season, and Yankof had high praise for Victoria Reisinger.

"She rebounded very well," Yankof said. "She's a good jumper and she got a lot of rebounds."

The girls put so much into the game against Oberlin that it may have affected their performance against Brooklyn on Saturday.

"They played a really hard intense game on Wednesday. They gave everything mentally and physically," Yankof said . "(On Saturday) the kids were just really flat. They had no intensity. We could not score and we threw the ball away."

The Dukes only shot for 15 percent, and Brooklyn trounced them, 47-26. Despite everything, the coach still had praise for his team.

"They're great young ladies and they do everything I ask them to do. What more could I ask for as a coach?" he said. "The kids are working hard and we're a lot better now than we were at the beginning of the season. We just can't translate that into wins."

Yankof remains optimistic about the rest of the season.

"If the kids come out with a lot of intensity, play four quarters of good defense, and make the plays offensively, we could win," he said.

This week the Lady Dukes play at Clearview on Wednesday.