Northwestern girls prevail over Western in varsity basketball

This article is brought to you by Freedom Financial.

The Western Lady Panthers traveled to Northwestern on Jan. 22, badly in need of a win. Like their opponents, the team is struggling through a difficult season. But relief wasn't to be found in the land of Purple and Gold. Instead, the Lady Tigers prevailed at home, 48-42.

The outcome of the game was very heavily controlled by Northwestern senior Anna Bishir, who went off for 27 points in the win. She also managed seven steals, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks before fouling out of the game.

Her offensive output was complemented by senior Berkley Wray, who managed eight points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks.

But the real story of the game is one of missed opportunities. The whistles sang heavily in favor of Western, sending the Lady Panthers to the line for 24 free-throw attempts. They managed to sink just 14 of the freebies, for a 58 percent success rate. By comparison, Northwestern only attempted 11 free throws on the night, hitting nine of them.

In a game decided by just six points, shooting discipline at the line made the clear difference.

Western did feature a pair of solid scoring performances during the evening. Junior Ellyse Walden led the Lady Panthers with 11 points to go with seven rebounds. And senior Rhiana Bowman scored 10 points and blocked six shots.

The win broke a three-game losing streak for the Lady Tigers, improving to 7-11 on the season. They then lost at home to Wabash on Jan. 25 and again on the road at Maconaquah. Northwestern now has a 7-13 as it travels to Southwood on Jan. 31. It will host Peru on Feb. 4 to finish the regular season.

Western's loss to Northwestern became part of a four-game losing streak that was finally halted on Jan. 28 with a win at Tri-Central. The Lady Panthers now have an 8-15 record as they prepare to face Logansport at home on Feb. 5: the last game of the regular season.

See additional photos from this game, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern's Facebook page or group.