The Wildcats crushed the Braves from start to finish, tallying a 50-29 final, favoring Alpena.

Led on the defensive end by Reese Wisniewski, her ability to strip the ball from Tawas proved a problem all night, leading to many fastbreak points and a dictating victory.

“Obviously, we were able to come out with the win, but we need to play better and play as a team. We played selfish at the start, but the more we passed the ball around and started running our plays, the better our offense got,” Alpena coach Laura Dubey said. “We need to play all four quarters like we did during the second, and we cannot afford to play like we did in the first ever again.”

From the start, Wisniewski got things going offensively and defensively for the Wildcats, scoring the first bucket.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey AHS girls basketball play Tawas on Tuesday in Alpena. The Wildcats took the win, 50-29, over the Braves.

A pair of easy breakaway steals and a three that hit nothing but net gathered seven of Alpena’s 12 points during the quarter.

While Alpena was held to just 12 points, Tawas stayed in the game early, only falling behind 12-8 to start the first.

Despite being in the game, Tawas could never take the lead nor tie it up.

Finally, Alpena started to play competently on both sides of the ball after a key timeout during the second quarter.

Coach Dubey made several key adjustments and preached for the team to meet its standards.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Natalie Maychen (12) stands ready to defend as a Tawas player holds the ball and looks for an opening on Tuesday night in Alpena. AHS defeated Tawas with a 50-29 final score. The Wildcats stayed ahead of the Braves from start to finish.

After the quick pep-talk, the team came out more intense and tough, leading to Alpena outsourcing Tawas 14-3.

Led by five Wisniewski points and more team play from Faith Dragiewicz, Natalie Maychen, Reaghan Fitzpatrick, and Kiera Prue, the team started to find more success.

Playing overall as a team has been vital for the Wildcats all year, and that offensive switch changed the game’s trajectory.

Entering the third, Alpena held a 26-11 after ending the second quarter with a 10-0 run.

The Wildcats continued that run into the third, turning it into 17 straight points for Alpena.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey AHS girls basketball play Tawas on Tuesday in Alpena. The Wildcats took the win, 50-29, over the Braves.

Most of the Wildcat’s points came on threes during the third, as Isabelle Liske, Avery Dubey, Wisniewski, and Maychen scored one each.

Combining for 18 points in the third quarter, Alpena managed a lead large enough to coast out the remainder of the game.

Ending in a 50-29 final, Alpena only scored six during the final period, but that proved large enough to still win by 21 points.

“These last three games have been some of the worst we’ve played all season, and we have to play consistently through the whole game against TC Central. They’re an incredibly tough team, but we know we can beat them if we play confidently,” Coach Dubey said.

Alpena travels to Traverse City Central on Friday.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey AHS girls basketball play Tawas on Tuesday in Alpena. The Wildcats took the win, 50-29, over the Braves.

Wisniewski paved the way in scoring with 14 points.

Dubey finished second in points, scoring eight.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey AHS girls basketball play Tawas on Tuesday in Alpena. The Wildcats took the win, 50-29, over the Braves.