Girls Basketball: Goodhue gets by Cotter

GOODHUE – Winona Cotter attempted to stop Mikayla Miller Friday night in Goodhue.

The Ramblers tried to play zone defense, they tried to play man-to-man defense and they tried to deny her the ball. But there was no answer for the Wildcats’ junior.

“It seemed like whatever they tried, she was able to exploit,” Goodhue head coach Josh Wieme said. “I give her a ton of credit but our team has gotten so good at finding her. It takes two; her group finding her and knowing how to find her. … We have a lot of threats on the floor and (Miller) is relentless with or without the ball. It makes her very tough to stop.”

Miller finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds – 21 points and nine rebounds coming in the first half – as the Wildcats defeated Cotter 62-47.

“I just thought our offense in the first half was fantastic,” Wieme said. “I think our defense might be turning a corner. It really was that good, especially in the first half. We’re just not having breakdowns. It’s five players playing as a team on defense.”

Goodhue (7-1) shot 57 percent from the field and 10 of 16 from the free-throw line. The Wildcats led 38-18 at halftime.

Emilee Roschen had eight points for Goodhue, Mikayla Tipcke finished with seven points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Kali Ryan had six points in the victory.

Paige Gernes was the Ramblers’ leading scorer with 12 points, and Jo Beyer added 10 points. Cotter (1-5) shot just 36 percent from the field and 1-for-8 from 3-point range.

“Teams that are scoring, they’re working for their points,” Wieme said. “With our size, that’s what we need to make them do. They’re doing without fouling which is a huge thing. They’re starting to take a little more pride in their ‘D’ and it’s fun to watch.”

Goodhue travels to Zumbrota-Mazeppa Tuesday to open Hiawatha Valley League Blue Division play.

Tags: girls basketball, sports, prep, goodhue