Wayland Friday night claimed its second championship this season in girls’ basketball.
The Lady Wildcats defeated South Christian 62-55, for the second time this year, to capture the Division 2 district crown on their home court, lifting their overall season record to 10-2. They were declared O-K Gold Conference champions earlier this week after a Coronavirus-plagued abbreviated campaign.
South Christian finished with an 11-5 record overall.
Coach Wes Hudson took over the reins of the program that essentially had dried up in talent five years ago. His first team won only once and it wasn’t until 2020 that it finally finished the season with a winning record, 14-9.
In Hudson’s second season, he pulled up freshmen Parish Hudson and Stephanie Ainsworth, who have anchored the Lady Wildcats’ steady climb up those golden stairs. They were aided by a supporting cast of guards in Mady Terry and Emma Ludema.
The league and district championships were the first for Wayland since 2015, the senior year of Presley Hudson, sister of Wes and Parish Hudson and daughter of assistant coach Mike Hudson.
The Lady Wildcats will play in the regional semifinals Monday evening against a 12-1 Plainwell team at the Edwardsburg gym
