Tough break ended Wortman's breakout season prematurely
But junior still earned All-Suburban honors
Eliza Wortman of Germantown got the cast off her left foot a couple of weeks ago. She will still work on crutches for a bit and then walk around in a boot for a month more.
Then it will be back to basketball for the 6-foot-2-inch forward who played most of the season with a stress fracture in her left foot before shutting it down with five games to go.
"It actually started before the season began," Wortman said. "It hurt just a little so I ignored it. But about a month before I stopped playing I couldn't practice anymore on it. I went to a doctor and the x-rays didn't show anything. I finally got an MRI of it and there it was on the top of my foot.
"That was a huge disappointment."
The junior was having a breakout season in her third year on varsity. She averaged 16.9 points, six rebounds and two blocks per game with Germantown, and as a result, was selected for the CNI/NOW All-Suburban Girls Basketball Team.
Wortman, who had a solid summer with her Rising Force AAU team, and the Warhawks were looking forward to a good season. But with returning point guard Melissa Klemm out for the first month of the season with a knee injury, more of the focus fell on Wortman, who persevered despite the pain.
"She knew she had that stress fracture most of the season and she did not let that bother her," Warhawks coach Joe D'amato said. "I can't even imagine how dominant she might have been this season had she been completely healthy."
Wortman has drawn interest from Division 1 schools - she visited Butler last fall - and D'amato said that she already has the mental wherewithal to be a great player.
"I think the biggest thing that she has improved is that she is a much more confident player," he said. "She played with much more confidence than she ever did before. She feels she can get it done every time she steps out on the court."
Steven L. Tietz can be reached at (262) 446-6619.
Starting five
Junior forward Eliza Wortman is the fourth different Germantown player to earn CNI/NOW All-Suburban honors:
2009: Eliza Wortman
2000: Casey McMahon
1999: McMahon
1997: Laura Krause
1992: Erika Freiburger
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Mehryn Kraker of West Allis Central reached a personal milestone Jan. 24 against Wauwatosa East when she cleared 1,000 points for her career, leading her squad with 25 points. She was the leading scorer again Jan. 27 with 16, while teammate Claire Hankins played the hero by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs an upset win over Sussex Hamilton. Central has played a brutal schedule this year, and it's paying off to the tune of four straight wins.
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