MONROE - The Black Hawk girls basketball team's dreams of playing in a fourth straight state tournament were dashed in a heartbreaking 43-40 loss to Barneveld in a WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinal Thursday night.
Barneveld freshman Rachel Slaney made 1 of 2 free throws with 9.2 seconds left. The Warriors grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball, but Black Hawk sophomore Jen Wellnitz missed a jumper and senior Kayla Meier missed a putback as the Eagles survived in a packed Monroe High School gym.
"Coach even told us don't worry about the 3," Wellnitz said. "He wanted us to drive and draw a foul. I drove in and I thought I got hit on the elbow. I thought I got fouled. I don't know if they wanted to make a call and it was just so loud in there."
Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said he tried to call a timeout with about 7 seconds left.
"The officials didn't see or hear me," Flanagan said. "Maybe it's because I lack a gym voice. Maybe I should have taken the timeout quicker. Even if we get that, we still have to make a play in a big moment. We wanted to get the ball in the frontcourt and then we have a play from the baseline."
The last minute turned into a free throw shooting contest as the Warriors (22-3) made 5 of 8 free throws in the final 38 seconds and battled foul trouble. Slaney, who scored a game-high 16 points, made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the win for the Eagles.
"It's just amazing," Slaney said. "Black Hawk has beat us and sent us home crying before. We haven't made it this far in a long time. I'm just glad to be a part of it."
Slaney was clutch at the foul line down the stretch.
"I was just praying and telling myself I have to get them to go," she said. "You just have to believe in yourself."
Barneveld (22-3) advances to the Fort Atkinson sectional final, where the Eagles will play Milwaukee Heritage Christian with a state berth on the line.
Flanagan is proud of the resiliency the Warriors have shown all season.
"These kids have set a high bar," he said. "You are not going to make it to state every year. They just made more plays than we did."
Both Black Hawk senior Katie Powers and Slaney picked up two fouls in early in the first quarter and were forced to the bench. The Warriors responded with a 10-0 run.
Black Hawk senior Kate Quinn, who scored 11 points, scored down low and on a putback to give the Warriors a 12-5 lead at the end of the first period. Wellnitz scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds.
Meier added nine points and senior Chaesta Shager chipped in eight points for the Warriors including two 3-pointers.
The Eagles answered when Madison Laube banked in a shot and Slaney scored down low with 3:02 left in the second quarter to slice the Warriors' lead to 16-13. Laube came through with a layup at the end of the second quarter to trim the Warriors' halftime lead to 17-15.
The Eagles outscored the Warriors 15-9 in the third quarter.
"Both teams played so hard," Quinn said. "It was anyone's game in the end."
The Warriors committed three straight turnovers in the fourth quarter after Wellnitz picked up her fourth foul and was forced to the bench. The Warriors juggled their lineup late with Powers and Wellnitz in foul trouble as they were forced to foul.
"The common theme in the three games we have lost this year is we got into foul trouble," Flanagan said. "We came out and made some uncharacteristic turnovers and that led to their runs."
Flanagan will always remember how the Warriors persevered through some tough stretches including a 16-point halftime deficit against Clinton and a 14-point deficit against Randolph.
"It may take a week or month, but they will look back on a great season they had," Flanagan said. "These kids are unsung. A lot of kids would like to win a conference or regional championship once in their careers. These kids have done it multiple times. You have to be gracious when you win and lose."
Barneveld freshman Rachel Slaney made 1 of 2 free throws with 9.2 seconds left. The Warriors grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball, but Black Hawk sophomore Jen Wellnitz missed a jumper and senior Kayla Meier missed a putback as the Eagles survived in a packed Monroe High School gym.
"Coach even told us don't worry about the 3," Wellnitz said. "He wanted us to drive and draw a foul. I drove in and I thought I got hit on the elbow. I thought I got fouled. I don't know if they wanted to make a call and it was just so loud in there."
Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said he tried to call a timeout with about 7 seconds left.
"The officials didn't see or hear me," Flanagan said. "Maybe it's because I lack a gym voice. Maybe I should have taken the timeout quicker. Even if we get that, we still have to make a play in a big moment. We wanted to get the ball in the frontcourt and then we have a play from the baseline."
The last minute turned into a free throw shooting contest as the Warriors (22-3) made 5 of 8 free throws in the final 38 seconds and battled foul trouble. Slaney, who scored a game-high 16 points, made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the win for the Eagles.
"It's just amazing," Slaney said. "Black Hawk has beat us and sent us home crying before. We haven't made it this far in a long time. I'm just glad to be a part of it."
Slaney was clutch at the foul line down the stretch.
"I was just praying and telling myself I have to get them to go," she said. "You just have to believe in yourself."
Barneveld (22-3) advances to the Fort Atkinson sectional final, where the Eagles will play Milwaukee Heritage Christian with a state berth on the line.
Flanagan is proud of the resiliency the Warriors have shown all season.
"These kids have set a high bar," he said. "You are not going to make it to state every year. They just made more plays than we did."
Both Black Hawk senior Katie Powers and Slaney picked up two fouls in early in the first quarter and were forced to the bench. The Warriors responded with a 10-0 run.
Black Hawk senior Kate Quinn, who scored 11 points, scored down low and on a putback to give the Warriors a 12-5 lead at the end of the first period. Wellnitz scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds.
Meier added nine points and senior Chaesta Shager chipped in eight points for the Warriors including two 3-pointers.
The Eagles answered when Madison Laube banked in a shot and Slaney scored down low with 3:02 left in the second quarter to slice the Warriors' lead to 16-13. Laube came through with a layup at the end of the second quarter to trim the Warriors' halftime lead to 17-15.
The Eagles outscored the Warriors 15-9 in the third quarter.
"Both teams played so hard," Quinn said. "It was anyone's game in the end."
The Warriors committed three straight turnovers in the fourth quarter after Wellnitz picked up her fourth foul and was forced to the bench. The Warriors juggled their lineup late with Powers and Wellnitz in foul trouble as they were forced to foul.
"The common theme in the three games we have lost this year is we got into foul trouble," Flanagan said. "We came out and made some uncharacteristic turnovers and that led to their runs."
Flanagan will always remember how the Warriors persevered through some tough stretches including a 16-point halftime deficit against Clinton and a 14-point deficit against Randolph.
"It may take a week or month, but they will look back on a great season they had," Flanagan said. "These kids are unsung. A lot of kids would like to win a conference or regional championship once in their careers. These kids have done it multiple times. You have to be gracious when you win and lose."
