DUPO – The girls’ basketball team at East Alton-Wood River are off to its first 3-0 start in many years after winning the final of the Dupo Cat Classic over Father McGivney Catholic 37-27 Saturday afternoon at Dupo High.
The Oilers, who haven’t had a winning season since 2001-02, won a tournament championship for the first time in 18 years with the win on Saturday.
“We’ve been a work in progress, and the girls have all bought in,” said second-year Oiler coach Joe Parmentier, “and we are still young.”
A long-time coach for the boys’ team, Parmentier came out of retirement two years ago to take over as girls’ head coach, and things are working out very well.
“I thought that this was something that I wanted to do,” Parmentier said. “It’s worked out really well.”The girls’ basketball team at East Alton-Wood River are off to its first 3-0 start in many years after winning the final of the Dupo Cat Classic over Father McGivney Catholic 37-27 Saturday afternoon at Dupo High.
The Oilers, who haven’t had a winning season since 2001-02, won a tournament championship for the first time in 18 years with the win on Saturday.
A long-time coach for the boys’ team, Parmentier came out of retirement two years ago to take over as girls’ head coach, and things are working out very well.
“I thought that this was something that I wanted to do,” Parmentier said. “It’s worked out really well.”
The game itself was a bit of a sloppy affair, as both teams combined for 54 turnovers.
“Both teams were really nervous, but in the second half, I felt like we played a lot better,’ Parmentier said.
Junior Kayla Brantley led the way for EAWR in the first quarter, hitting a pair of three balls to give the Oilers a 9-6 lead after one, and in the second, a pair of Hannah Allen free throws gave EAWR a 19-17 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was very defensive minded, with the Griffins going two of 11 from the field, while the Oilers were zero-for 12, but did hit three free throws in the quarter, giving them a 22-21 lead going into the final quarter. It was there when the Oilers, led by a Brantley three, used a 10-0 run to break the game open, taking a 31-21 lead with 5:20 left. McGivney couldn’t get closer than eight down the stretch, as the Oilers won.
The Griffins were led by Macy Hoppes with 10 points, and sophomore point guard sensation Anna McKee was held to only five points.
There were some positive takeaways for the Griffins as well. The Griffins girls played hard throughout the game and improved as the contest continued from the start.
That the Oilers held McKee to five points is a credit to the defense.
“Our defense was so solid,” Coach Parmenter said. “I talk about deflections, and I don’t know how many passes we deflected tonight, but it made a difference. The girls got quickly to the ball, and it was a great team effort.”
Brantley was the game’s leading scorer with 15 points, with Taylor Parmentier added eight points. Taylor Parmentier was excellent on the defensive side for the Oilers and played a key role in the win on both sides of the court.
The start is something that Coach Parmentier had been working towards since taking over the program.
“This program was winning about two games a year,” Parmentier said, “and when I took over, we won seven. We’re off to a 3-0 start, and I’m excited about the future.’
Both teams are back in action on Monday, with the Oilers going to Marquette Catholic in a 7:30 tip. The Griffins have back-to-back home games Monday against Bunker Hill on Monday and Freeburg Tuesday. The tip for both games is at 7:30 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
