RICHLAND CENTER - It's tough to win if you can't score, and Aquinas made it tough for Darlington to score for much of their WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal game at Richland Center High School on Thursday night.
The top-ranked and undefeated Lady Blugolds (25-0 overall) rolled to a 73-36 win over Darlington. The Blugolds scored the first nine points of the game to put the Redbirds (19-5) in catch-up mode just two minutes in, and then added runs of 11-0 and 17-0 later in the opening half to build up a 41-11 lead by the intermission.
Sophomore center Courtney Becker scored 12 of her game-high 14 points in the first half to lead the Blugolds. Sophomore point guard Lexi Donarski added 9 points and senior guard Kyah Steiner chipped in with 8 points in the first half for Aquinas.
Junior guard Kaylee Meyers scored the Redbirds first basket at the 16:06 mark of the first half, and the 'Birds got as close as 11-6 on a basket by junior Kathleen Mathias with under 13 minutes remaining in the half.
Aquinas reeled off 11 unanswered points to pulled ahead 22-6 with 7:43 to go, and the Blugolds netted the final 17 points of the half to build up a 30-point halftime advantage.
Darlington committed nearly twice as many turnovers in the first half than the had points as Aquinas's relentless full-court pressure caused fits for the Redbird ball handlers. At one point, the 'Birds had seven straight possessions where they turned the ball over without getting off a shot attempt.
"We talked about the errors at halftime," said Darlington head coach Kelly Rose. "They are a very good athletic team who wants you to play faster than you're used to, but some of those errors were our own errors. We made our mistakes in the first half. We started to play better in the second half, but by then it was too late."
Aquinas kept the lead around 30 the entire second half despite a spirited second-half effort by the Redbirds. Both teams went deep in their benches down the stretch as Darlington put 10 players into the scoring column, while the Blugolds had 14 players scoring in the game.
Meyers finished with 11 points for the Redbirds, who had an 11-game winning streak come to an end with their second straight sectional loss to the Blugolds.
"We wanted to get back to this game and face them. We got back here. I can't be upset about that. It's a growing program and I'm so proud how far we've come," remarked Rose.
Senior guard Meghan Douglas added 6 points in her final prep game, and junior Reagan Crist tallied 5 points off the bench for the 'Birds.
Donarski and senior Madessa Collins scored nine points apiece for Aquinas, who advances to Saturday's sectional final game in Baraboo to face Cambridge after their upset victory over No. 4-ranked Saint Mary's Springs.
The top-ranked and undefeated Lady Blugolds (25-0 overall) rolled to a 73-36 win over Darlington. The Blugolds scored the first nine points of the game to put the Redbirds (19-5) in catch-up mode just two minutes in, and then added runs of 11-0 and 17-0 later in the opening half to build up a 41-11 lead by the intermission.
Sophomore center Courtney Becker scored 12 of her game-high 14 points in the first half to lead the Blugolds. Sophomore point guard Lexi Donarski added 9 points and senior guard Kyah Steiner chipped in with 8 points in the first half for Aquinas.
Junior guard Kaylee Meyers scored the Redbirds first basket at the 16:06 mark of the first half, and the 'Birds got as close as 11-6 on a basket by junior Kathleen Mathias with under 13 minutes remaining in the half.
Aquinas reeled off 11 unanswered points to pulled ahead 22-6 with 7:43 to go, and the Blugolds netted the final 17 points of the half to build up a 30-point halftime advantage.
Darlington committed nearly twice as many turnovers in the first half than the had points as Aquinas's relentless full-court pressure caused fits for the Redbird ball handlers. At one point, the 'Birds had seven straight possessions where they turned the ball over without getting off a shot attempt.
"We talked about the errors at halftime," said Darlington head coach Kelly Rose. "They are a very good athletic team who wants you to play faster than you're used to, but some of those errors were our own errors. We made our mistakes in the first half. We started to play better in the second half, but by then it was too late."
Aquinas kept the lead around 30 the entire second half despite a spirited second-half effort by the Redbirds. Both teams went deep in their benches down the stretch as Darlington put 10 players into the scoring column, while the Blugolds had 14 players scoring in the game.
Meyers finished with 11 points for the Redbirds, who had an 11-game winning streak come to an end with their second straight sectional loss to the Blugolds.
"We wanted to get back to this game and face them. We got back here. I can't be upset about that. It's a growing program and I'm so proud how far we've come," remarked Rose.
Senior guard Meghan Douglas added 6 points in her final prep game, and junior Reagan Crist tallied 5 points off the bench for the 'Birds.
Donarski and senior Madessa Collins scored nine points apiece for Aquinas, who advances to Saturday's sectional final game in Baraboo to face Cambridge after their upset victory over No. 4-ranked Saint Mary's Springs.
