Mackenzie Wassermann didn’t seem particularly flustered during Valparaiso’s first-round game in the Class 4A Lowell Sectional on Wednesday.
The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard/forward had spent much of the season on the junior varsity team before earning a promotion.
“It’s a lot more nerve-wracking for me,” she said. “But it’s a really cool experience with all of the girls.”
Wassermann made the most of that experience, delivering for the Vikings on her biggest stage to date. She scored a career-high 10 points, well above her 1.9 season average, as Valparaiso held off Crown Point in a 40-34 win.
Standout freshman guard Lillian Barnes, who led Valparaiso (21-2) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, noticed Wassermann’s impact. Wassermann, who pinpointed a Jan. 6 win against Portage as the time she solidified her spot on the roster, also had three steals against Crown Point (14-10).
“It’s really great to have her be able to play up,” Barnes said. “She gives us a lot of energy coming off the bench. She’s able to contribute both at the top of the 1-3-1 when one of us needs a break and she gives us a spark, and also on offense.”
Valparaiso, ranked No. 16 in the state coaches poll, will play Chesterton (16-8) in a semifinal on Friday after its second win against the Bulldogs this season. The Vikings beat their Duneland Athletic Conference rival 59-27 on Dec. 9, but the rematch was considerably more competitive.
The score was tied 7-7 when Wassermann hit a 3-pointer to give Valparaiso the lead for good with 4:50 left in the second quarter.
“I was just happy it went in,” she said. “It made me happy I could contribute to the team and help us pull through.”
That basket initiated Valparaiso’s 12-0 run, all on 3-pointers. Barnes made two, and Wassermann added another with 59 seconds left in the half to make it 19-7.
“She’s been stepping up for us,” Valparaiso coach Candy Wilson said of Wassermann. “She’s only a sophomore, and that’s huge. She’s somebody who kind of came out of nowhere from the JV and really stepped up big.
“She plays a lot of AAU, and she showed it. She made big shots. Big shots.”
Crown Point answered with nine straight points spanning the halves to draw to 19-16 before Valparaiso junior forward Raegan O’Halek made a straightaway 3-pointer with 4:46 left in the third to start a 9-0 spurt.
Wassermann converted a layup in the last 30 seconds for the final basket of the third and another layup within the first minute for the opening basket of the fourth. Those baskets, both on assists from senior guard Kristin Bukata, gave the Vikings a 32-20 advantage.
“We were all really anxious at the beginning,” Wassermann said. “They were going to change things up, so we had to change things up too.”
Junior forward Ava Ziolkowski, who led Crown Point with 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals, made two free throws off a steal with 1:20 left in the game to cap a 7-0 run and cut Valparaiso’s lead to 36-32. But the Vikings, who lost junior forward Becca Gerdt to a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 16, hung on for the win.
“I’m incredibly proud of the way our kids fought, the way they battled,” Crown Point coach Chris Seibert said. “Our goal was just to stay within striking range and keep it close in the fourth quarter. We had some opportunities to get it a little bit closer, but they didn’t fall. But it doesn’t take away from the heart of this group, the determination and resiliency they’ve shown with the schedule we’ve played.
“Valpo’s a tremendous team. They made some big plays down the stretch, and we wish them nothing but the best.”
By defeating Crown Point, which had won four straight sectional titles behind state champions Jessica Carrothers and Lilly Stoddard, Valparaiso continues to pursue its first since 2005.
“At this time of year, you just move on to the next game,” Wilson said. “It wasn’t our prettiest game. There were a lot of jitters. But it’s a normal response. Hopefully we got it out of our system. They’re a tough team, and we knew it wasn’t going to be like the first game.”
