ALBANY - The fate of the Albany girls basketball team's season looked bleak starting the fourth quarter down by 12 points in a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal game against Juda Tuesday.
The Comets came through with an improbable comeback to clip Juda 38-33 in overtime in a thriller.
"To be honest I'm still shaking my head," Albany coach Adam Wamsley said. "I'm so proud. We weren't getting good looks early; I was digging deep trying to find good combinations to get us going, and finally in the fourth I went to a four-guard lineup and we started scoring points."
Albany junior Ciearria Mortaloni scored a team-high 10 points to lead the Comets comeback. Mortaloni scored eight points in the fourth quarter and hit two 3-pointers. Albany junior Sydnee Woyak also had 10 points.
"We didn't expect that kind of game out of her," Wamsley said of Mortaloni. "It got our crowd roaring and really picked us up. The whole team rallied and it was a great game to be a part of. Sometimes you need to find one player to step up. And for her to hit two threes off the bench, it really got us going."
Juda (6-16) jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first quarter and led by six points at the half. The Panthers outscored the Comets 12-5 in the third quarter to take a 26-14 lead. Juda sophomore Alexis Goecks scored a team-high 11 points. Sophomore teammate Chelsea Burkhalter and senior teammate Molly Marass both added eight points.
The Comets (5-18) battled back outscoring the Panthers 24-7 the rest of the way. Wamsley was elated by the comeback.
"It showed heart and perseverance," he said of the comeback. "Sometimes we have our moments where we struggle to score - and in the first half we only had nine points - but we never have a bad attitude. You know there's always a fight in this group. And the way we're trying to build this program, this was a great game to show them what they can accomplish."
Argyle 67, Abundant Life 31
ARGYLE - Top-seeded Argyle had no problems cruising to a 67-31 win over Abundant Life/St. Ambrose in a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Argyle (17-6) raced out to a 26-2 lead in the first quarter and rolled from there. Argyle had four players in double figures led by senior Jozey Thoman, who scored a game-high 14 points. Senior Hannah Saalsaa added 12 points and senior Kylie Johnsen chipped in 11 points. Argyle senior Jenna Langmeier scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter.
"We utilized a fullcourt pressure. Got a bunch of steals and played the transition game in the fourth quarter and capitalized off that," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said.
Argyle will host Albany in a regional semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday.
"They're a very physical team," Ritschard said. "They're going to be ready for our fullcourt pressure - they've seen it twice this year. They're well-coached.
"They're rebuilding, but I think coming off the playoff win will give them some momentum coming into the game."
Albany coach Adam Wamsley looks forward to the matchup against Argyle Friday.
"Going down there is always tough," Wamsley said. "They're the No. 1 seed for a reason. They have a very good team, very active, strong. If you can't break the press, it's a game you're going to struggle in."
Black Hawk 48, Williams Bay 34
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk junior Aleigha Sigafus scored a game-high 15 points to propel the Warriors to a 48-34 win over Williams Bay in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Black Hawk jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter and led by five points at the half.
Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan wasn't satisfied with a 10-point lead after the first quarter.
"Outside of a couple inbound plays, we didn't defend well," Flanagan said. "We held them down in the first, but in the second we had some missed opportunities and allowed them to get back into the game.
"They played a zone throughout and it was hard for us to get good touches. We made some adjustments at half and we're able to get the ball to go in the basket."
Black Hawk junior Brooke Moore added 10 points. With the win, Black Hawk (8-15) advances to play at Monticello (13-8) in a regional semifinal Friday. The Ponies have beat the Warriors twice this year by 24 points each time.
"We have our work cut out for us," Flanagan said. "Kubly is one of the best players in our conference.
"We're just happy to have the opportunity to try again and see what happens Friday night."
Monticello 47, Johnson Creek 28
MONTICELLO - The second-seeded Ponies started fast and finished strong rolling to a 47-28 win over Johnson Creek in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Monticello raced out to a 16-3 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Monticello senior Alyssah Kubly scored a game-high 18 points and senior Courtney Leuzinger added 10 points. The Ponies put Johnson Creek away with a 15-7 run in the third quarter. Monticello senior Jordan Garrison chipped in eight points.
Monticello advances and will host Black Hawk Friday in a regional semifinal game.
New Glarus 49, Darlington 40
NEW GLARUS - Sophomore McKinley Righter scored a career-high 20 points to lift New Glarus to a 49-40 win over Darlington in a Division 4 regional quarterfinal game.
New Glarus (8-15) outscored the Redbirds 12-8 in the first quarter and led by seven points at the half. The Glarner Knights put the game away by making 14 of 22 free throws and outscoring the Redbirds 17-11 in the fourth quarter. With the loss, Darlington finishes the season 5-18.
Julia Barnaby chipped in eight points for the Knights. Darlington senior Mariah Wiegel scored a team-high 10 points.
"They played nice together," New Glarus coach Megan Scheele said. "We knew we could get inside and execute, so we found our post players who had big games tonight. We did it together, they had vision - and that's the biggest thing is playing together."
New Glarus will play at second-seeded Mineral Point Friday in a regional semifinal.
"They're gonna be tough," Scheele said. "They're second in the conference under Cuba City. They're going to be a tough team. But if we execute and play our hardest, we'll see."
Benton-Shullsburg 55, Pecatonica 37
BENTON - Pecatonica senior Emily Scoville scored a team-high 11 points, but the Vikings couldn't pull off an upset in a 55-37 loss to Benton-Shullsburg.
Benton-Shullsburg cruised out to a 21-8 lead in the first quarter and led by 19 points at the half. Pecatonica's Sam Erickson chipped in eight points. Benton-Shullsburg was led by Payton Bastian, who scored a game-high 11 points. With the loss, Pecatonica finishes the season 2-20.
The Comets came through with an improbable comeback to clip Juda 38-33 in overtime in a thriller.
"To be honest I'm still shaking my head," Albany coach Adam Wamsley said. "I'm so proud. We weren't getting good looks early; I was digging deep trying to find good combinations to get us going, and finally in the fourth I went to a four-guard lineup and we started scoring points."
Albany junior Ciearria Mortaloni scored a team-high 10 points to lead the Comets comeback. Mortaloni scored eight points in the fourth quarter and hit two 3-pointers. Albany junior Sydnee Woyak also had 10 points.
"We didn't expect that kind of game out of her," Wamsley said of Mortaloni. "It got our crowd roaring and really picked us up. The whole team rallied and it was a great game to be a part of. Sometimes you need to find one player to step up. And for her to hit two threes off the bench, it really got us going."
Juda (6-16) jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first quarter and led by six points at the half. The Panthers outscored the Comets 12-5 in the third quarter to take a 26-14 lead. Juda sophomore Alexis Goecks scored a team-high 11 points. Sophomore teammate Chelsea Burkhalter and senior teammate Molly Marass both added eight points.
The Comets (5-18) battled back outscoring the Panthers 24-7 the rest of the way. Wamsley was elated by the comeback.
"It showed heart and perseverance," he said of the comeback. "Sometimes we have our moments where we struggle to score - and in the first half we only had nine points - but we never have a bad attitude. You know there's always a fight in this group. And the way we're trying to build this program, this was a great game to show them what they can accomplish."
Argyle 67, Abundant Life 31
ARGYLE - Top-seeded Argyle had no problems cruising to a 67-31 win over Abundant Life/St. Ambrose in a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Argyle (17-6) raced out to a 26-2 lead in the first quarter and rolled from there. Argyle had four players in double figures led by senior Jozey Thoman, who scored a game-high 14 points. Senior Hannah Saalsaa added 12 points and senior Kylie Johnsen chipped in 11 points. Argyle senior Jenna Langmeier scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter.
"We utilized a fullcourt pressure. Got a bunch of steals and played the transition game in the fourth quarter and capitalized off that," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said.
Argyle will host Albany in a regional semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday.
"They're a very physical team," Ritschard said. "They're going to be ready for our fullcourt pressure - they've seen it twice this year. They're well-coached.
"They're rebuilding, but I think coming off the playoff win will give them some momentum coming into the game."
Albany coach Adam Wamsley looks forward to the matchup against Argyle Friday.
"Going down there is always tough," Wamsley said. "They're the No. 1 seed for a reason. They have a very good team, very active, strong. If you can't break the press, it's a game you're going to struggle in."
Black Hawk 48, Williams Bay 34
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk junior Aleigha Sigafus scored a game-high 15 points to propel the Warriors to a 48-34 win over Williams Bay in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Black Hawk jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter and led by five points at the half.
Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan wasn't satisfied with a 10-point lead after the first quarter.
"Outside of a couple inbound plays, we didn't defend well," Flanagan said. "We held them down in the first, but in the second we had some missed opportunities and allowed them to get back into the game.
"They played a zone throughout and it was hard for us to get good touches. We made some adjustments at half and we're able to get the ball to go in the basket."
Black Hawk junior Brooke Moore added 10 points. With the win, Black Hawk (8-15) advances to play at Monticello (13-8) in a regional semifinal Friday. The Ponies have beat the Warriors twice this year by 24 points each time.
"We have our work cut out for us," Flanagan said. "Kubly is one of the best players in our conference.
"We're just happy to have the opportunity to try again and see what happens Friday night."
Monticello 47, Johnson Creek 28
MONTICELLO - The second-seeded Ponies started fast and finished strong rolling to a 47-28 win over Johnson Creek in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Monticello raced out to a 16-3 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Monticello senior Alyssah Kubly scored a game-high 18 points and senior Courtney Leuzinger added 10 points. The Ponies put Johnson Creek away with a 15-7 run in the third quarter. Monticello senior Jordan Garrison chipped in eight points.
Monticello advances and will host Black Hawk Friday in a regional semifinal game.
New Glarus 49, Darlington 40
NEW GLARUS - Sophomore McKinley Righter scored a career-high 20 points to lift New Glarus to a 49-40 win over Darlington in a Division 4 regional quarterfinal game.
New Glarus (8-15) outscored the Redbirds 12-8 in the first quarter and led by seven points at the half. The Glarner Knights put the game away by making 14 of 22 free throws and outscoring the Redbirds 17-11 in the fourth quarter. With the loss, Darlington finishes the season 5-18.
Julia Barnaby chipped in eight points for the Knights. Darlington senior Mariah Wiegel scored a team-high 10 points.
"They played nice together," New Glarus coach Megan Scheele said. "We knew we could get inside and execute, so we found our post players who had big games tonight. We did it together, they had vision - and that's the biggest thing is playing together."
New Glarus will play at second-seeded Mineral Point Friday in a regional semifinal.
"They're gonna be tough," Scheele said. "They're second in the conference under Cuba City. They're going to be a tough team. But if we execute and play our hardest, we'll see."
Benton-Shullsburg 55, Pecatonica 37
BENTON - Pecatonica senior Emily Scoville scored a team-high 11 points, but the Vikings couldn't pull off an upset in a 55-37 loss to Benton-Shullsburg.
Benton-Shullsburg cruised out to a 21-8 lead in the first quarter and led by 19 points at the half. Pecatonica's Sam Erickson chipped in eight points. Benton-Shullsburg was led by Payton Bastian, who scored a game-high 11 points. With the loss, Pecatonica finishes the season 2-20.
