CLARKSBURG -- All-state center Megan Ueltschy scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Valley Wetzel to a 66-21 win over Liberty Thursday in girls basketball action.
The victory moved the Lumberjills to a 2-0 mark on the young season, while the Mountaineers fell to 0-2.
"We've been having some problems with the flu bug at our school, and Megan was one of them fighting it," Valley Wetzel coach Larry Weekley said. "She didn't play that well in the first half, but she hung in there and still had a pretty good game."
She had plenty of help, too.
Guard Heather Brown supplied some early scoring punch and ended the night with 14 points. Sheena Kinkade added eight points and eight rebounds.
Off the bench, sophomore Hannah Headley, in her first extensive varsity action, hit a trio of 3-pointers while Kendra Brown added seven points and five rebounds.
"They have a real well-balanced team," Liberty coach Donnie Kopp said. "Ueltschy is super strong underneath and they have a lot to complement her with."
Sophomore Kass Nutter led Liberty with 12 points while also grabbing five rebounds. Junior Kayla Wetzel chipped in with seven rebounds as no other Mountaineer scored more than three points.
"We're just not looking to shoot the ball," Kopp said. "We need to step up and look for our shots right now, especially out on the wings."
Valley jumped out to a 12-0 lead behind Brown's seven points. Liberty didn't dent the scoreboard until just :17 remained in the first quarter when Nutter connected on a baseline jumper.
After Liberty's Stacie Kopp made it 12-4 on a follow-up, Ueltschy and Brown combined for the next eight points as the Lumberjills led 20-4 with 3:50 remaining in the half.
But Nutter countered by outscoring Valley 8-7 the remainder of the half as Valley held a 27-12 lead at the intermission. Ueltschy and Kincade then led a 16-0 run at the outset of the third quarter to put the game away.
Sports writer Greg Talkington can be reached at 626-1444 or by e-mail at gtalkington@exponent-telegram.com
