GIRLS BASKETBALL | Alyssa Geiser powers undefeated Waynedale past Chippewa

APPLECREEK — The ball had to go up. Alyssa Geiser simply had no choice.

To all in attendance Saturday afternoon at Waynedale High School, it was an almost unreal moment. For Chippewa it proved to be the final dagger in a 53-30 loss to the unbeaten Golden Bears.

With the clock winding down to end the third quarter in a Wayne County Athletic League game, Geiser nonchalantly rolled off a perfect screen by Brooklyn Yoder. The Waynedale sophomore then let it fly, with the ball catching the back of the rim as it slipped through the mesh netting from about 25 feet out.

Whether it was a shot that had been rehearsed in practice or in a pickup game against her brother and former Golden Bears standout Zach Geiser, it was lethal. It gave Waynedale (16-0, 11-0) a 41-26 lead through three quarters and in the driver's seat to defend its WCAL title and second since 2007.

“It was the end of the quarter, the ball had to go up and I was like, ‘Well, I can make it from here, I’ve done it before,’ so I had to just let it go,” said Geiser, who finished with a game-high 21 points.

The shot was just the start of yet another fiery run for Geiser, who scored nine of the next 10 points spanning into the fourth quarter. McKenna Baney split two free throws before Geiser buried back-to-back 3-pointers, the second coming from the corner with 6:44 left in regulation.

“When she gets the heater rolling, sometimes it gets really hot, and today just happened to be one of those days,” said Golden Bears coach Rick Geiser. “She deserves to have games like this because she works so hard. I am so happy and proud of her.”

Geiser and Waynedale simply proved to be too much for the Chipps (12-5, 9-2).

“They got us down and that basket became so wide for Alyssa — she knocked them down,” said Chipps coach Denny Schrock. “She was unreal, was hot, on fire, and when that basket becomes that wide, she could throw anything up and hit it. Give her all the credit.”

Another big key for the Golden Bears was their work on the glass. Waynedale wanted to set the pace early, and Yoder was key in both halves as she opened the game with four of her game-high eight rebounds and had a steal to open the second half.

Yoder also added six points and four assists, headlining a senior class that has proven a lot this season while closing in on the league title.

“We harp on rebounding really hard, and before this game we knew that rebounding was going to be a huge key,” said Rick Geiser. “Brooklyn has been unbelievable this year in big moments, and all four seniors play their hearts out, lead, and our ability to be great teammates starts with them.”

Along with Yoder, fellow seniors Kylie Nussbaum, Cherlyn Miller and Alyce Yoder made big contributions. Nussbaum scored eight points, Miller had six points and five rebounds, and Yoder cleared out five boards.

“I am so proud of our seniors because they have invested so much of their time to make us a better team,” coach Geiser said. “They do it the right way. They are unselfish with everything they do and they set the tone with their leadership.”

Rebounding and defense were the catalysts of the run to start the second half that sealed the win.

“We had to finish. It was time and we rebounded really well, which got us going,” Alyssa Geiser said. “To come out strong was huge. If we let them back in it, it’s a dogfight, but if we get them right away it really sets us up the rest of the way.”

Now the Golden Bears want to start what they finished, she said, and win their second league title in as many years and fifth in school history.

“It feels really good,” Geiser said. “We’ve worked really hard for it, and now we want to finish out the season strong.”

Abby Henegar and Annabel Rodriguez led the Chipps with six points apiece. They helped keep it close, trailing just 23-19 at the break, before Waynedale pulled away in the second half.

“We fought hard to get back in the game at halftime,” said Schrock. “I felt good at that point, but then Waynedale just came out and dominated the game, end of story.

"Give them credit where credit is due. They played well, they deserve it and it's all about what Waynedale did.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Alyssa Geiser keys big second half, Waynedale tops Chippewa