It was an unusual experience for the Wayland girls’ varsity basketball team Tuesday night, winning by 22 points essentially without much help from its star player.

The Lady Wildcats opened their season with a resounding 57-35 victory over visiting Hastings, though 6-2 ace junior pivot Stephanie Ainsworth spent almost three-fourths of the ballgame on the bench because of foul trouble. So coach Wes Hudson’s girls had to show they could get it done without her.

It was the clear from the opening tip that the Saxons had no answer for the towering and talented Ainsworth, who scored 12 points in the first quarter alone. She laid the ball in off the glass five times and swished two free throws, as Wayland jumped out to an 18-8 lead in those first eight minutes.

The Lady Wildcats’ strategy was no secret — lob the ball inside, have Ainsworth get it and make the layup. But just 19 seconds into the second period she was whistled for her second foul, and Hudson, taking no chances, retired her to the bench for the rest of the half.

Meanwhile, another drama on the defensive side of the ball was unfolding. Hastings unveiled super freshman point guard Macy Winegar, who drilled two three-point field goals in the first four minutes.

So Hudson put his younger sister, Parrish, on Winegar to slow her down, and she did an admirable job, being pesky and tenacious. Winegar had all three of the Saxons’ field goals by halftime, as they trailed the home team 28-16.

Interestingly, senior forward Bri Thurston nailed a couple of threes during the first half to help keep the ‘Cats safely ahead, 28-16.

Hastings started the third quarter by double teaming Ainsworth and it held her to just a couple of free throws, but that was because she drew her third and fourth fouls in less than five minutes of play.

With 2:53 left in the third period, Josey Nickels pulled her team to within nine, 38-29, and that turned out to be the most serious threat Wayland faced all night. The visiting ballclub never got closer than nine because of clutch scoring from Hudson and Haley Dobry.

Coach Hudson then pulled his charges back into a zone and put freshman Maddy Terry and later senior Kenzie Wolf on Winegar. It was plain he could see everything in the Saxons’ offensive scheme started with her.

So Winegar finished the contest with 16 points, with four three-point bombs, Nickels had nine and Carly Warner eight.

Ainsworth’s 14 points topped the Wayland scoring parade, with featured only Dobry, with 10 points, also in double figures, but Thurston and sophomore Emma Ludema contributed eight points apiece and Hudson added seven and a boatload of assists.

The Lady Wildcats will be back in action next Monday night at home against Vicksburg in another non-league encounter.