Parkway South Girls Play With Poise at Oakville

The girls basketball team definitely showed up at the Oakville High School gym with their A-game. Making five 3-pointers and shooting 70 percent from the free-throw line, the Patriots happily headed home with a 51-46 victory over Oakville.

Parkway South is now 7-5, including 1-0 in the Suburban West Conference.

Patriots Head Coach Thomas Williams was happy with the win, citing Oakville as great competition.

“In preparing for our conference, we schedule a lot of really tough non-conference games. We want this type of difficult competition. It’s really good for us and helps us get ready for our conference,” he said after the game.

Oakville definitely did give Parkway South (7-5, 1-0) a competition, capitalizing on its defensive play. Senior Audra Plassmeyer led the team with five steals, and teammates junior Lauren Fussell and senior Allison O’Brien also contributed defensively, forcing multiple turnovers. The Tigers’ rebounding also was exceptional, both on the offensive and defensive end.

But great defense does little when paired with a struggling offense, and many of the Tigers’ shots from the field just did not fall despite being good looks. They had layups roll off the rim, and easy inside shots bounce too hard off the backboard.

In contrast, Parkway South hit its open shots. The Patriots worked swing passes cross-court to find open teammates for 3-pointers, and this patience paid off as the shots fell. Jordan Anthony, a senior guard, led the team with 23 points.

Williams complimented Anthony on her play after the game. “She was a starter for us last year, and this year we need her to step up and provide leadership. She does that for us, and she does that at crucial times.”

Anthony averages 12.5 points per game.

It was 24-19 Parkway at the half, and the Tigers managed the come within two points during the third quarter. Senior Chloe Wolf stepped up her play, making two steals and numerous rebounds. Wolf made two consecutive baskets off of passes into the post from Jordin Mitchell.

Wolf was Oakville’s high scorer with 14 points.

Plassmeyer was right behind her with 12, but Oakville’s overall shooting was just 33 percent. On top of that, towards the end of the game, the Tigers gave away fouls and sent the Patriots to the line for several one-and-one bonus chances.

“We made 16 out of 23 free throws,” Patriots assistant coach Mike Reinhardt said after the game, smiling. Ten of those makes were after the bonus as each of the Parkway South girls were steady and confident at the line when it counted.

Parkway South next plays at Mehlville on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m.