Verona girls basketball scores nearly triple-digit win, 106-11

VERONA, Wis. (WMTV) - Six players scored in the double-digits for Verona Area High School’s girls basketball team Wednesday night as the Wildcats trounced Janesville Parker by nearly 100 points. In fact, three Verona High players each outscored the Vikings entire squad on their way to a 106-11 victory.

A tweet celebrating the win listed the six Wildcats who racked up at least ten points and pointed out that every member of the squad put the ball through the net at least once.

The Janesville Gazette pointed out that several Parker players came into the year little experience in basketball and already trailed by more than 50 going into halftime.

A spokesperson for the Janesville School District, Patrick Gasper, noted that the team is dealing with multiple injuries and illness and they are “working hard to improve through difficult situations.” He added that people can decide on their own whether the score of the game was appropriate. (full statement below)

“The more important thing to remember is how the coaches and the team respond to a game -- lessons learned, finding areas where they may improve,” he continued. “We are proud to be able to field a team for girls basketball at both of our high schools, and these Viking student-athletes have heart and a desire to improve.”

Such a lopsided win did come with some criticism; however, with one person replying to the team’s Twitter account by wondering if the players could have used the time to work on their passing and footwork during the game and noting that other sports have a mercy rule.

Wildcats’ head coach Angie Murphy took exception the comment, complimenting the way her team played throughout the game and saying her coaching staff would never tell the players to lay off the gas in a game. Her tweet went on to imply that she felt the Vikings players were not hustling on their end.

In a follow-up statement, Murphy told NBC15 News her team meant no disrespect to Parker players and denied that Wildcat players were trying to run up the score.

“My girls are a great bunch of girls, and it is an honor to be their coach,” Murphy wrote.

According to Murphy, her players only pressed during the first half and stopped doing so after that. She added that the team also switched to “five-in and five-out” substitutions after halftime.

Full statement from Janesville School District

clarification: Updated to add new statement from Verona Area High School head coach Angie Murphy.

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