Wilburton girls basketball earned a home victory over Wister Monday.
The Lady Diggers (3-1) took down the Lady Wildcats (4-4) 41-35 in the home opener.
Offense was hard to come by for both teams early. The first score of the game came from Wister 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the game.
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Wilburton got its first basket, a 3-pointer from Shannon Stanford, with 2:18 remaining in the first quarter.
The Lady Wildcats led 9-5 at the end of the first period.
Offense picked up in the second quarter for Wilburton, which took its first lead of the game 15-14 on free throws. The Lady Diggers then took an 18-16 advantage going into halftime.
Wilburton kept the momentum going in the second half.
The Lady Diggers outscored the Lady Wildcats in the third period 10-9 to take a 28-25 lead into the fourth quarter.
Wilburton put Wister away in the fourth, outscoring its opponent 13-10. The Lady Diggers won 41-35.
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Coach April Wright was absent from the game and assistant Jonathan Taylor took the lead on the sideline. Taylor said he appreciates his team’s effort in the win.
“I don’t really know what we figured out, but they figured out a way to win so that’s what I’m proud of them for,” Taylor said.
Aryzona Wright scored 16 points, including two 3-point shots. Standford was second in scoring with nine points.
Maysen Anderson scored seven points with one 3-point make in the fourth quarter.
The level-headed play and determination of Wilburton is what Taylor said he respects the most.
“(They) never give up,” Taylor said. “They got down early, they got a lead, they cut it down a couple of times and they just came out and battled to the end.”
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Taylor said this game will be a building block for the rest of the season.
“They played hard,” Taylor said. “Anytime you get a win you’ve just got to take it and move on, especially where we’ve been. So it’s steps in the right direction every day.”
The pace at which the Lady Diggers played against Wister is indicative of how they operate every day, Taylor said.
“We’ve got a lot of energy, a lot of get-up-and-go and they have a lot of fight in them,” Taylor said.
Wilburton plays again Thursday in the Wilburton Tournament.
