The Winfield-Mount Union Wolves began their girls’ basketball postseason by fighting off a game effort from Holy Trinity Catholic, pulling away down the stretch last night to win a Class 1A Region 8 quarterfinal 56-42. WMU met the challenge of a higher-scoring first quarter than they usually face, taking a 19-13 lead. Holy Trinity cut the lead down to four points at halftime, but the Wolves finally pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Crusaders 28-18. Head coach Mendy McCreight told KCII Sports that Winfield-Mount Union responded well to a two-week layoff.

“To be honest,” McCreight said, “I was kind of nervous when we first stepped on that court, having two weeks of practice and no game. But [the girls] go out every night, they do their thing, they played hard and did what they needed to do.”

Wolves senior Melina Oepping finished with a team-high 17 points, while Bradie Buffington added 13. Eighth-ranked Winfield-Mount Union is now 20-1. Top-seeded WMU will next play Burlington Notre Dame in the Region 8 semifinals.