Lady Wildcats have a better than good chance for redemption

ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.

“Don’t get mad, get even.” — Joseph P. Kennedy, father of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy.

Perhaps there’s a lot of disappointment and even hand wringing this weekend in the wake of the Wayland girls’ basketball team’s first defeat after 17 straight victories. Gone is the dream of an undefeated season. Probably gone is the dream of sole ownership of a league championship.

But there’s still a lot of work to be done, and there’s still an excellent opportunity for redemption.

The Lady Wildcats have two more regular season games to play this week. They must take care of business at home against South Christian next Friday in order to gain a share of the O-K Gold Conference crown. Then they must turn around and face the Sailors again the following Monday in the first round of the post-season Class B tournament.

The time for mourning the loss of a perfect season is past and the time for taking up an even greater challenge is at hand. If the Lady Wildcats are up to the task of beating South Christian twice, they have an excellent chance to be district champions once again. And winning a regional title for the second time in the last three years is certainly doable.

Anybody remember three years ago, when Wayland and Catholic Central split their home-and-home series during the regular season and then met for a third time in the Class B quarterfinals? It very well could happen again, and if it does, it would take place this time in the much friendlier confines of the Wayland High School gym. Yes, Wayland will be the host for the state Class B quarterfinals, regardless of whether the Lady Wildcats are in it.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a chance for redemption. And it would be the best medicine for what ails coach Marty Howard and his group this weekend. But it will take a lot of learning from mistakes and hard work in preparing for what’s ahead.

I wasn’t really shocked by Catholic Central’s victory Friday night. It is too good a team to be beaten in its own gym. It has hammered its opponents all season long and deserves to be ranked among the top five in the state, as does Wayland.

I was, however, surprised by the margin of victory. As I wrote in my story, the Cougars did everything to Wayland that Wayland has done to almost all its opponents up to this point.

The Lady Wildcats suffered from a really bad night, one they did not suffer when they beat Catholic in that double overtime thriller in January. It is possible to turn that around.

My greatest fears are Catholic Central’s height advantage, which it was able to exploit in that awful 64-42 debacle, and its ability to handle the Lady Wildcats’ customarily lethal defensive pressure.

Howard has been able all season long to get his players to overcome taller teams with that pressure defense getting steals and easy fast-break baskets, and with terrific three-point shooting. But Catholic Central handled the pressure well Friday night and was able to get the ball inside to the big girls for a scoring party inside the paint.

These two aspects of the game will be Wayland’s biggest challenges if the two superpowers happen to meet again in the quarterfinals. And I’d rather see a state championship than an undefeated season.

As Yogi Berra was so famous for saying, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”