BY RICH PALZEWIC
SPORTS EDITOR
DE PERE – De Pere High School seniors Natalie Cerrato and Rachel Kerkhoff made sure the girls’ basketball team remained perfect on the young season.
Both scored 23 points in the Redbirds’ 75-53 come-from-behind victory over Stevens Point Area Senior High in a non-conference game Nov. 27 at De Pere High School.
The Redbirds (3-0 overall) trailed 33-25 at halftime but outscored the Panthers (1-3) by a 50-20 margin in the second 18 minutes of the game to win going away.
“At halftime, we talked about being in control and bringing more energy to the floor in the second half,” said De Pere head coach Jeremy Boileau. “We were getting outrebounded 18-12 at the half, but we ended up having about 15 more rebounds than SPASH by the end of the game. It was nice to see the girls take some pride in their defense in the second half. We also didn’t make a lot of shots in the first half.”
SPASH junior Leah Earnest, a Valparaiso University recruit, came into the game averaging almost 30 points per game but was held to 20, with only 6 of those coming during the second half.
“We made it difficult for her,” Boileau said about Earnest. “She is a matchup nightmare, but we had 5-foot-4 Rachel Kerkhoff face guard her and make life hard. Her toughness set the tone for our energy. Other girls were there to help as well.”
Earnest scored 12 points in helping the Panthers jump out to a 27-14 lead halfway through the opening half, but that’s when the Redbirds slowly began chipping away, ending the half on an 11-6 surge to change the momentum.
De Pere began the second half with a 15-2 run, in which Cerrato and Kerkhoff combined for nine points.
From there, the Redbirds went on a 17-0 spurt a few minutes later to turn a four-point advantage into a 21-point lead.
Sophie McCarty and Jordan Meulemans added 10 and nine points, respectively.
“We don’t care who scores for us,” Boileau noted. “Sophomore Sophie McCarty had the flu and missed practice all weekend, but she was more assertive with the basketball. She played on the freshmen team last year, and now she’s starting.”
Cerrato led De Pere with eight rebounds, while Kerkhoff and Meulemans each contributed six.
“I’m thrilled with our start,” Boileau added. “All three teams we have beaten so far are good teams and big schools. I’m not totally surprised, though – we have a mentality that we are 13 strong. Every player on our team contributes.”
The junior varsity team was also victorious in a 40-39 win.
The Redbirds are next in action Nov. 30 when they open the Fox River Classic Conference season at Green Bay Southwest.
Box score
Stevens Point: 33, 20 – 53
De Pere: 25, 50 – 75
De Pere boys win: The Redbirds improved to 2-0 on the season with a 60-48 road victory over Stevens Point Nov. 27.
Brad Nies led De Pere with 12 points, while Will Dehn chipped in with eight. Bennett Spaeth and Seth Andrews each added seven.
Box score
De Pere: 27, 33 – 60
Stevens Point: 18, 30 – 48