Call it a “quiet” 30.

For Wayzata’s Kallie Theisen, Wednesday night’s 79-70 win over Maranatha Christian Academy wasn’t a game in which everyone knew she was putting up big numbers, nor were her teammates dishing her every pass in the paint.

But when the final horn sounded, the 6-foot-2 junior had scored a season-high 30 points for the Trojans, who needed Theisen's silent night to stave off an aggressive Maranatha team that wouldn’t go away and improve to 13-0 on the season.

Thirty points? Wayzata coach Mike Schumacher said he was a little surprised by that number.

“It’s a quiet 30,” Schumacher said. “[Theisen]’s a very, very good player. She does what she does within the framework of our team. She does a lot of the grunt work. She gets a lot of putbacks and makes a lot of free throws.”

Theisen wasn’t the player her teammates turned to every possession, but Wayzata's leading scorer (15.2 points per game) was under the basket when it counted and she drove the lane, which, after drawing a foul, put her on the free-throw line 12 times Wednesday night. She made seven of her attempts.

Asked what the average person should know about Theisen’s game, Schumacher responded immediately with "versatility."

“Early, she made some perimeter shots… She can shoot it well, which draws the defense out and then she can drive it to the basket,” Schumacher said. 

Wayzata, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, had to battle back to win. Going into the locker room at half, the Trojans trailed No. 3-2A Maranatha 36-35.

After a back-and-forth fight throughout the second half, Maranatha stared at a three-point lead with 6:17 remaining. Coming out of a timeout, Wayzata sophomore forward Annika Stewart, who finished the night with 10 points, found freshman Jenna Johnson for the two-point basket. The Trojans took the lead on their next possession and didn’t falter when pressured.

Johnson, who came into Wednesday night’s competition as the Trojans' second-leading scorer on the season at 10.4 points per game, contributed 17 -- the second-most since she had 18 in 57-45 victory over Rosemount in the season opener on Nov. 24.

But it was defense that helped the Trojans hold off the Mustangs, despite giving up the second-most points since edging Lakeville North 72-71 on Dec. 2.

“We really needed to do a better job of stopping dribble penetration,” Schumacher said. “We did a little bit better in the second half -- I guess we did enough -- and that was the key. Their dribble penetration really hurt us.”

The Mustangs' first half was dominated by junior Kae Seana Barth-Lofton, a 5-foot-10 guard who found herself battling in the paint with Wayzata’s taller lineup. Barth-Lofton had 12 points at the break and finished the night with 18, tying her season high from a 10-point loss to Holy Angels on Dec. 14.

Kylie Post, who was quiet in the first half for the Mustangs (5-3), came out in the second half and found her stride -- one that often took her through an open lane, past Wayzata defenders and to the hoop. She finished with 15 points.

“We’ve got ball players that give us a chance to win every night,” Maranatha coach Chris Buerman said, adding later that, “We let the game come to [Post].”

While the efforts of Post and Barth-Lofton were louder -- they were easily identified and the Maranatha fans knew it -- it was Theisen, who said she enjoyed going head-to-head with Barth-Lofton in the paint, whose “quiet” night resounded more.

“I knocked down a couple jump shots, which I haven’t really been able to do so far, so that’s good,” Theisen said. “There were a variety of baskets -- I drove it in, posted up, so that was pretty helpful in this game.”

Wayzata staved off a fight from Maranatha Christian Academy and remained undefeated with a 79-70 win Wednesday night at Wayzata High School.

Wayzata, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, relied on the duo of Kallie Theisen, a 6-foot-2 junior forward, who finished the night with a season-high 30 points, and 6-foot-1 freshman forward Jenna Johnson, who contributed 17, including a 7 of 10 night from the free-throw line.

Mimi Schrader and Annika Stewart scored 10 points apiece for the Trojans. 

Maranatha went into the locker room at halftime ahead by one point, but found the lead hard to hold in the second half as late turnovers and missed second chances dug a quick, deep hole for the No. 3-2A Mustangs, who were coming off a 73-22 rout of Columbia Heights Tuesday night.

The Trojans (13-0) used a late scoring run to seal the victory.

The Mustangs (5-3) were led by junior guard Kae Seana Barth-Lofton, who put up 18 points. Kylie Post, a senior guard, contributed 15 points and Jaclyn Jarnot added 11.

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