Lady Coalers rout Bremen without Schmitt

BEECHER - No Brad Schmitt to coach the Coal City Lady Coalers.

No problem.

Assistant coach Nicole Trendler still had senior guard Krista Watson and senior forward Kirsten Verdun on hand to lead the Lady Coalers to an easy 40-18 decision over Midlothian Bremen Friday night in the opening round of the third annual Ladycat Fall Basketball Classic.

Verdun, named to the 2008 All-Tournament Team, had a double-double while Watson kept the offense in motion.

"It was a little different for them," admitted Trendler, who stepped in to guide the team after Schmitt was unable to attend due to a new arrival in the family. "But Kirsten played well and Krista called the plays. I was impressed with the way they played. Both girls really stepped up with Coach Schmitt gone. But we coach identical, so it shouldn't have been too hard for them to adjust."

"The thing that made it a lot harder was they [the Lady Braves] kept changing from a man to a zone [mostly a 2-3 variety] and they were doing it late so it made it tougher for me to call the plays," pointed out Watson. "But we played well as a team. We have a lot of work to do but I think we should have a great season."

Especially if Schmitt can count on Verdun providing 19 points and hauling down 16 rebounds on a nightly basis. About the lone blemish on the evening was the fact that Coal City turned the ball over 18 times.

But Bremen was unable to take advantage, committing 15 miscues while hitting just 7-of-49 shots from the field. The Lady Braves, who lost 35-19 to the Lady Coalers in the third-place game last year, got a trio of baskets each from senior center Julie Velcich and sophomore guard Melissa Bullard but the rest of the squad put up 33 field goal attempts while making a solitary basket.

An offensive rebound basket by Verdun, off a missed bonus free throw chance by junior guard Brittany Halliday with 3:55 left in the first half, actually panned out to be the game-winning bucket. The Verdun basket, one of nine on the night, put Coal City up 20-6. Verdun flipped in a trio of buckets in each of the first two quarters before adding another trio in the final frame.

"It was our first game and we had some girls who were nervous," said Trendler. "They have a lot to hold up to [Coal City was 26-3 last season] and I think some of the younger girls had first-game jitters. But Krista and Kirsten stepped up and played really well. I thought we passed the ball well. We did our roles. Tabitha Spelde did a great job on the boards while Kristen Arndt helped out with three baskets."

Spelde gave the Lady Coalers a twosome in double digits for rebounding with the senior forward accounting for 10 caroms, four at the scoring end.  Arndt was perfect in three field goal attempts to match Watson and Spelde with six points apiece.

The Lady Braves got a slashing basket from the left elbow by Bullard a minute into the game to take their lone lead of the contest. An offensive rebound by Verdun off her own miss 15 seconds later, a Verdun free throw and two charity tosses each by Watson and junior guard Brea Lewis made it 7-2 Coal City before a pair of Verdun baskets in the final minute made it 11-4 after one frame.

Arndt and Verdun had three buckets each as the Lady Coalers held a 13-7 scoring edge in the second quarter. Velcich countered with two baskets while Bullard had the other for Bemen.

The Lady Braves managed to sneak back within 24-16 as Coal City endured a six-minute scoreless span in the third period but Spelde halted the surge with successive baskets. The first came on an offensive rebound of a Halliday missed free throw with Verdun picking up an assist on a Spelde followup layup.

Verdun had three baskes while Watson and Spelde flipped in one apiece as the Lady Coalers pulled away with a 10-2 advantage in the last eight minutes. Bremen endured a 1-for-12 shooting stanza.

Velcich led the Lady Braves with nine points. Bullard tacked on a half dozen. Velcich and Bullard claimed six rebounds each out of the Bremen team total of 22.

Coal City is scheduled to play both Beecher and Eisenhower on Saturday.