The Mehlville girls basketball team concluded the regular season in a positive way Feb. 22 by defeating Seckman 37-31 to end the regular season.
Mehlville upped its record to 7-16 on the season. The Panthers also defeated Fox two days earlier.
“We had two good wins, ending our regular season,” Mehlville head coach Chris Cook said. “I told the girls how important these two games against Fox and Seckman were heading into districts.”
Cook said his squad’s defense played a huge role in both wins.
“All season, I stressed the importance of outworking the other team,” Cook said. “Our girls worked hard. Seckman averages 41 points a game, and we held them to 31. The two wins over Fox and Seckman helped us get a five-seed for districts.”
The Panthers may have reason to be optimistic heading into district play, ending the season on a 3-1 run.
Jess Castaldi had 11 points, while Emma Angeles added nine points and Irelynn Stove tossed in seven points to clinch the win for the Panthers.
Cook complimented a few of his players following the pair of wins.
“Jess Castaldi has been consistent offensively all year averaging 9.7 points a game,” he said. “Lexi Timmerman does a great job on the boards, averaging over seven rebounds a game. Irelynn Stover stepped up big this week doing a great job on both sides of the court with her offense and defense.”
Cook also praised the two seniors on the team.
“Then, we have our two senior leaders of the team, Emma Angeles and Lamija Ugarak,” Cook said. “These two work hard on both sides of the court. They do a great job in the little things such as boxing out.”
Despite a 7-16 record, there were several positives in Mehlville’s season. A number of younger players have stepped up for the team.
“This team definitely has shown progress these last two games, offensively,” Cook said. “An area that we worked on all season is transition offense. They looked more comfortable on the offensive side. Also, we have stressed the importance of looking to score.”
Mehlville lost to Jackson High School 29-50 in the first round of district play on Feb. 28, ending the season.