Gallery: Rebels beat Bulldogs

Published 10:38 pm Monday, December 15, 2014

Taylor Schultz of United South Central shoots over a defender Monday against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Wells. — Micah Bader/Albert Lea Tribune

Taylor Schultz of United South Central shoots over a defender Monday against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Wells. — Micah Bader/Albert Lea Tribune

WELLS — Points in the paint powered the United South Central girls’ basketball team to its 14th straight win against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.

Anissa Janzig set the single-game school scoring record of 33 points to lead the Rebels to a 70-56 victory Monday over the Bulldogs.

“There was no way I could’ve (set the record) without the help of the wings, guards and other posts getting the ball inside,” said Janzig. “They did a super job of feeding me the ball, so a big thanks to them.”

Email newsletter signup

Last season, Janzig set the record with 32 points in a 64-59 Rebels win in the first round of the Section 2A tournament.

Also playing on the block was Shianne Robertson, a 5-foot-9-inch sophomore forward. Robertson and Janzig utilized precise interior passing to combine for 51 points and 25 rebounds. Both players had double-doubles and made a combined 23-of-34 shots from the field.

Janzig, a 6-1 senior forward, and Amanda Allis, a 6-2 junior center, gave USC a distinct height advantage. The Bulldogs’ tallest player was 5-9.

“Just looking at the program going into the game, you could see that they didn’t have the size to match up against us,” said USC coach Stu Hendrickson. “We kept looking inside every chance we could, and once they started taking that away, we’d look for perimeter shots.”

Knocking down crucial shots from the outside were Taylor Schultz and Kia Legred. Schultz, a returning letter winner and Gopher All-Conference honorable mention selection at point guard had six points, three rebounds and two assists. Legred burst onto the scene with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Being a multi-sport athlete helped Legred prepare for the season. For the last two seasons, she was a doubles tennis state qualifier.

“It definitely helped with staying in shape and being able to stick it out for long periods of time because tennis matches are so long,” she said. “Basketball games are different, but it helped.”

The Rebels beat the Bulldogs by double digits, but it wasn’t until late in the second half that the team had a comfortable lead.

With 11 minutes left in the first half, USC led 15-7, but Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton cut its deficit to three points at halftime, 28-25.

It was the third straight game USC (1-2 overall, 0-1 Gopher Conference) led at the break. However, the Rebels lost their first two outings, and the Bulldogs (4-3 overall, 2-0 Valley Conference) scored the first four points of the second half to take a 29-28 lead.

USC countered with a 4-0 run, built a 19-point lead and never trailed after that point. Hendrickson said he was proud of the way his team fought back from the second-half deficit.

“The girls responded, dug deep and found a way,” he said.

The last time the Bulldogs beat the Rebels was Feb. 6, 2007.

Next, USC will host Madelia at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.