Bulldogs jockey for positioning in competitive district

If strength of schedule was a determining factor in high school basketball, the Wheaton boys team could lay claim to a significant multiplier.

The Bulldogs (4-14) have yet to come out on the winning side of a game since Dec. 27, a 1-point win over McAuley Catholic, but their five losses have come to teams with a combined record of 49-22.

“We’ve had some tough games recently, and things have not gone our way,” said Seth Lash, Wheaton boys basketball coach. “There’s moments where we have 3- to 4-minute stretches of not playing with the right intensity or valuing possession on offense. That puts us behind the 8-ball, then it’s tough to get back.”

Against Galena on Friday, the Bulldogs went down 10-0 in the first quarter. They pulled back to 15-9 with seconds remaining, but open Bear in the corner sunk a 3-pointer at the buzzer to extend it again.

“It’s usually in the first half,” Lash said. “Against Thomas Jefferson (5928), we got down 8 or 10 or 12, and against Pierce City (56-41), we had the lead after the first and were down by 1 at the half, but they put together a strong third quarter to create a cushion. Southwest (43-36) we played close, and at times were even closer, but a couple of bad possessions were the difference. When other teams have a few possessions go their way, it’s tough to get over that hump.”

The difficulty for the Bulldogs this season has been scoring points, not stopping them.

“We play hard on defense and are one of the better Wheaton teams as far as points per game we are giving up,” Lash said. “We are at 51 per game right now, and the only team better than that was the district championship team in 2012. We are doing a good job limiting others’ scoring, but we’re having a hard time capitalizing on opportunities at the basket or from outside.” assistant volleyball and softball coach, and when Purdy played both in the same season.

“The head coach was the same for both, too,” she said. “In 2003, she left and I was offered the Purdy softball head coaching job. We got second in the state that year. We had an exceptional group of kids and, and it was a lot of fun.”

Purdy took fourth in state the following year, and Videmschek felt a calling to move up to the collegiate level.

Returning to her alma mater, Videmschek coached at Crowder until her son, Dusty, started playing baseball.

“I came back to watch him play,” she said. “When you have 60 games a season in college, it’s tough to find time. In his freshman year, I only saw him play one game. When Purdy found out I wasn’t coaching, they asked me to come back. Softball had been moved to spring, and they ensured me I’d be able to watch my son play.”

That was the 2015 season, and by 2017, Videmschek was also hired as the head coach at Cassville. Overall, counting college and high school, Videmschek is 485-235 as a head coach, with a state title, runner- up and fourth-place finish in Purdy.

“We won quite a few district championships, as well,” she said. “I want to do that in Cassville, and every year, we are getting better and better.”

Regarding coaching, Videmschek maintains it’s not the talent or accomplishments that mean the most, but the effect she has on her pupils.

“One of my greatest memories came from winning that state championship,” she said. “We had a special needs girl on the team who came to play softball with us after not playing for a number of years. She was a big part of the team when we went to Springfield and won state, and a week later, she was still wearing her state championship medal and talking about how fun the game was.

“As a coach, that still warms my heart, because for those kids, they will never forget that moment.”

Videmschek said as a coach, she puts a significant emphasis on communication.

“To be a good coach, you have to communicate well and coach to the kids’ abilities,” she said. Sometimes, I am pretty demanding and hold the kids accountable, trying to get the best out of them. If the kids know you want that, and that No. 1 is just as important as No. 14, they will play hard for you.

“It’s about building relationships, and over my more than 20 years, I have many players from college and high school that stay in touch, call, text and update me on their lives. That’s what’s important to me — doing the right thing for the kids.”