BY GREG MENGELT
CLARKSVILLE — With Casey Johnson struggling to score in New Washington’s season opener, Katelyn Walker picked up the slack and led the Mustangs to a 67-39 win over Clarksville in their season opener on Saturday.
Walker hit all six of her shots in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers, and finished with 23 points despite not playing in the fourth quarter. Walker went 9-for-15 from the field.
Clarksville coach Troy Mitchell said he wasn’t surprised by Walker’s performance.
“They have so many weapons,” Mitchell said. “You can’t focus on just one (New Washington player).”
Clarksville’s Ashley Parrish scored the game’s opening bucket on an offensive putback, then Walker responded by driving down the lane for a layup. After Kiersten Hall tied the score at 6-6 with a foul shot, Walker scored seven consecutive points to give the Mustangs the lead for good, 13-6. New Washington led 20-8 at the end of the first and 30-16 at the halftime break.
With 18 points Walker was the only Mustang with more than four points, but sophomore Chloe Franklin picked up her game in the second half. The junior center scored eight points in the third quarter and four in the fourth, and had a also had five second-half rebounds.
“That’s the Chloe we expected to see,” New Washington coach Terry White said of her second-half performance. “That’s what we saw last year. In the first half, she was taking shots she hoped would go in. In the second half, she was taking shots she expected to go in.”
For the contest, Franklin had 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.
Sophomore point guard Kaira Doherty led the Mustangs with eight assists. Her performance was something White hadn’t seen in practice.
“I’ve been on her a lot in practice,” White said. “(In practice), when she catches the ball, it seems like she’s pre-determined where she’s going to pass it. In her first varsity game, I was glad to see her to things for us to be successful.”
The news wasn’t all bad for Clarksville. Besides turning the ball over 24 times — 22 through three periods — the Generals saw a lot of positives.
Junior Cassandra Mulford scored 15 points and handed out a six assists. Six-foot-2 center Brittany Windell only scored two points, but she had eight rebounds and three blocked shots, and the Generals had nine assists on their 13 baskets.
“I’m not discouraged at all,” Mitchell said. “I’m seeing a lot of good things.”
Mulford’s 15 and six performance backed up a 14 points and six assists in Clarksville’s season-opening with over West Washington.
“That’s what we need out of her,” Mitchell said. “When she has a shot, she takes it. When other people are open, she’s finding them. When the big kids start to (make shots inside), it will open things up even more.”
New Washington will play its second game on Tuesday when it hosts Class 2A, No. 3 Austin. Clarksville is back in action on Tuesday when it travels to Seymour to face Trinity Lutheran.
NEW WASHINGTON 20 10 20 17—67
CLARKSVILLE 8 8 7 14—39
New Washington — Doherty 2, Broughton 7, Mudd 4, Sarver 6, Johnson 6, Walker 23, Beard 3, Franklin 16.
Clarksville — Mulford 15, Miley 3, Parrish 10, O’Neal 2, Foster 2, Hall 5, Windell 2.
3-point field goals — New Washington 4 (Walker 2, Beard, Broughton); Clarksville 6 (Mulford 5, Miley).
Records — New Washington 1-0, Clarksville 1-1.
