SYRACUSE – For the first time in nearly a decade, Westview didn’t have to send its “Undefeated Season” T-shirts to a third world country right out of the gate.

Dating back to 2004, Westview finally figured out a way to beat Wawasee in a girls basketball season opener, 61-46, Friday night. A win that coach Randy Yoder really struggled to put together after the final horn sounded.

“My 20 years as a girls coach and my years as a JV boys coach, we have never won here, so we finally broke that barrier tonight,” Yoder stated, which Westview is just 12-26 overall in the series with Wawasee. “We just keep talking we are a team this year, we have balance, and we had everybody step up.”

Behind the streaky shooting from guard Brooke Yoder, who hit seven of 10 shots – five from deep – for 19 points to the twin towers inside, Westview had everything going in its favor. The 6’1″ Maria McCoy and the modestly listed 5’11” Grace Hales did a number on the grossly outmatched Wawasee interior. McCoy hit for 15 points and added 12 rebounds to her total while Hales was a threat all over the place, scoring 16 points which included a three. Hales also pulled down eight rebounds, had two blocks and led Westview with five assists.

“I thought this was a very reachable one for us,” said Wawasee head coach Kem Zolman, who dropped to 13-3 versus Westview in his 16th year at Wawasee. “I thought we would be very competitive. I just didn’t think our defense would be quite that bad. I’m not taking anything against Westview, they did a nice job of moving the ball and finding the open person before our rotations could find them. But Lakeland is our next most important game.”

Zolman was quick to mention his point total was a bit of a shock, noting most nights 46 points would have his team in a game. And while Wawasee statistically kept pace, committing just 12 turnovers and shooting 61 percent from the floor in the second half, it was a slow first half from a very raw rotation that did the home side in. A 5-29 shooting performance in the first half, combined with a 23-10 Westview run in the first half fueled by Yoder’s shooting, kept Wawasee a step behind.

Wawasee point guard Elizabeth Jackson scored a career-high 16 points on 6-9 shooting, added three assists and had no turnovers. Kylee Rostochak was aggressive with the ball, taking 17 shots but connected on just three of her attempts and finished with 11 points. Post Katlyn Kennedy added six points but was mired in foul trouble most of the game.

“Every time we play Westview, it’s an indication game,” Zolman stated. “I think they are going to be very good in their conference. They’ve got height, they’ve got shooting. I think they are a good ball team. We just weren’t very good on the defensive end.”

Wawasee (0-1) will host Lakeland (1-1) Tuesday night while Westview (1-0) will have a week to figure out how to defend Elkhart Memorial (0-0).

The JV game ended in exciting fashion, as Wawasee’s Aubrey Schmeltz drained two free throws with 1.4 seconds on the clock to ice a 24-23 win over Westview. Schmeltz finished with six points and five boards while teammate Alexis Manges added eight points and five boards. Westview was led by Taylor Eash’s six points and seven rebounds.