The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Gibbs powers Wellington win THE SCORE
Wellington junior Jalen Gibbs makes her teammates’ jobs easier.
That was evident on Dec. 19 when the host Dukes topped Brookside, 61-27.
Gibbs, a 6-foot guard, scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to propel the Dukes to a 7-2 start.
“Our defense was one of the main keys to the game,” Gibbs said. “I bring the ball up and I just try to find who is open. Everyone gets their fair share. Our defense is one of the main strengths.”
The Dukes jumped out to a 24-3 first quarter lead and led, 38-5, at halftime.
Alexis Lehmkuhl added 16 points and Lexi Wright added nine points playing off the attention Gibbs garners. Once Brookside (4-4) got down big, it became about trying to accomplish mini goals throughout the game for the Cardinals.
Coach Brad Barhorst said the talent level between both teams was apparent.
“Wellington is so good,” he said. “We knew we had our work cut out for us. WELLINGTON 61, BROOKSIDE 27
Our kids played hard in the second half and I was real pleased with our effort and we played them even. We know we play them in a month and we’ve got to get better. New London is our next game and we’ve got to be ready. We have to do it together. We don’t have kids like Gibbs and Lehmkuhl for us, so we have to do it together.”
Wellington outrebounded Brookside, 3521, and used suffocating defense to generate a lot of its points — a formula that can bode well for the Dukes moving forward.
“Our girls came out with energy on the defensive side of the floor,” Wellington coach Nathan Morris said. “That’s always real important because that gets our offense started. Gibbs is pretty good. She’s 6-foot and can handle the ball. She pretty much can do a little bit of everything.”
The Dukes completed five games in 10 days, and will have a break with the holiday coming up until Dec. 29.
“We have to try to stay in shape,” Morris added.