DEFOREST - A final barrage of 3-pointers that went off the mark won't define Black Hawk senior Jen Wellnitz and the Warriors' tournament run after their upset bid fell short in a thrilling 42-39 loss to No. 4 ranked Randolph in the WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinals on Thursday.
Black Hawk (17-7) trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but had four three-point shots that went awry in the final 30 seconds.
"Whatever. That's basketball," Wellnitz said. "No one expected us to make it this far. You have to know when you lose, it's not the end of the world. We could all die tomorrow. I'm just glad I had this opportunity."
The Warriors made their rally with a 14-7 run in the fourth quarter.
Wellnitz, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit, scored a team-high 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had five steals in her final prep game. Wellnitz made a bounce pass to sophomore Aleigha Sigafus who hit a jumper to cut the Rockets' lead to 33-29 with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Black Hawk senior Mikayla Sigafus scored on a putback to slice the Rockets' lead to 33-31 with 5:06 left.
Wellnitz picked up her fourth foul with 5:03 to go. Randolph 6-foot senior Allison Pickhardt converted a conventional three-point play to extend the Rockets' lead to 36-31.
The Warriors answered with senior Tessa Cushman drilling a 3-pointer to cut the Rockets' lead to 36-34 with 2:50 left. The Rockets missed two free throws late in the fourth. Black Hawk senior Michelle Flanagan knocked down a 3-pointer and Aleigha Sigafus scored on a layup to slice the Rockets' lead to 40-39 with 1:11 to go and that was as close as the Warriors could get.
"We put ourselves in a position to win it," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "I think they believed. When kids believe you can do just about anything. We did everything we needed to, except we forfeited a couple of offensive rebounds and missed a few shots. It's tough."
Aleigha Sigafus scored 10 points and Flanagan chipped in six points. Mikayla Sigafus had a team-high 12 rebounds. Wellnitz had two 3-pointers in the final seconds and Flanagan and Cushman each missed one.
"I thought we had so many chances that one of them would roll in," said Aleigha Sigafus, who played with her senior sister Mikayla for the final time. "I love playing with her. I look up to her a lot. We all worked really hard. The seniors should be proud of the season."
The Warriors started the game off with a bang. Wellnitz made some pinpoint passes at the top of the Rockets' 2-3 zone to teammates inside. Aleigha Sigafus buried a jumper early in the second quarter to help the Warriors take a 13-10 lead. It was the biggest lead the Warriors had. The Rockets went on a 10-0 run and that was sandwiched with Wellnitz picking up her second foul with about 3 minutes to go in the second quarter. Pickhardt drilled a 3-pointer and Randolph's Brooke Roberts converted a conventional three-point play to help the Rockets take a 22-14 lead into the break.
Roberts scored a game-high 18 points and Pickhardt added 12 points. The biggest difference Pickhardt made was at the defensive end finishing with three blocked shots and altering many more.
"Pickhardt is like 6-1," Wellnitz said. "It's hard to know what she is going to do. You almost have to just fade away against her because she will block your shot. She is so tall and has so much size. It was tough. I think we did a lot better job finishing around her than we did in the first game."
In the first meeting where the Rockets beat the Warriors by 15 points, Randolph senior Michayla Swanson scored 20 points. The Warriors limited her to just four points, but Roberts picked up the scoring load.
"Good teams always have a third kid who steps up," Flanagan said. "You have to pick your poison. I thought we did a pretty good job on the defensive end. They are the kind of team that runs a lot of ball screens and you get hedged here and there. You have to give them credit. They made some tough shots."
Wellnitz will always remember winning the regional title 43-41 over Monticello this year even though she was forced off the court due to dehydration and didn't see how her teammates pulled it out.
"Making it this far when no one thought we could," Wellnitz said is something she will always cherish. "The team won the regional title without me. That is one of the best times we have had."
It was Michelle Flanagan's last game playing for her father.
"She's so much more than a basketball player to me," Mike Flanagan said. "I will miss coaching her, but I will still see her a lot. I think our seniors deserve a lot of the credit. All of our seniors contributed to the team. A senior-laden team is worth it's money. They are fighting not to let their season end."
Black Hawk (17-7) trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but had four three-point shots that went awry in the final 30 seconds.
"Whatever. That's basketball," Wellnitz said. "No one expected us to make it this far. You have to know when you lose, it's not the end of the world. We could all die tomorrow. I'm just glad I had this opportunity."
The Warriors made their rally with a 14-7 run in the fourth quarter.
Wellnitz, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit, scored a team-high 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had five steals in her final prep game. Wellnitz made a bounce pass to sophomore Aleigha Sigafus who hit a jumper to cut the Rockets' lead to 33-29 with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Black Hawk senior Mikayla Sigafus scored on a putback to slice the Rockets' lead to 33-31 with 5:06 left.
Wellnitz picked up her fourth foul with 5:03 to go. Randolph 6-foot senior Allison Pickhardt converted a conventional three-point play to extend the Rockets' lead to 36-31.
The Warriors answered with senior Tessa Cushman drilling a 3-pointer to cut the Rockets' lead to 36-34 with 2:50 left. The Rockets missed two free throws late in the fourth. Black Hawk senior Michelle Flanagan knocked down a 3-pointer and Aleigha Sigafus scored on a layup to slice the Rockets' lead to 40-39 with 1:11 to go and that was as close as the Warriors could get.
"We put ourselves in a position to win it," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "I think they believed. When kids believe you can do just about anything. We did everything we needed to, except we forfeited a couple of offensive rebounds and missed a few shots. It's tough."
Aleigha Sigafus scored 10 points and Flanagan chipped in six points. Mikayla Sigafus had a team-high 12 rebounds. Wellnitz had two 3-pointers in the final seconds and Flanagan and Cushman each missed one.
"I thought we had so many chances that one of them would roll in," said Aleigha Sigafus, who played with her senior sister Mikayla for the final time. "I love playing with her. I look up to her a lot. We all worked really hard. The seniors should be proud of the season."
The Warriors started the game off with a bang. Wellnitz made some pinpoint passes at the top of the Rockets' 2-3 zone to teammates inside. Aleigha Sigafus buried a jumper early in the second quarter to help the Warriors take a 13-10 lead. It was the biggest lead the Warriors had. The Rockets went on a 10-0 run and that was sandwiched with Wellnitz picking up her second foul with about 3 minutes to go in the second quarter. Pickhardt drilled a 3-pointer and Randolph's Brooke Roberts converted a conventional three-point play to help the Rockets take a 22-14 lead into the break.
Roberts scored a game-high 18 points and Pickhardt added 12 points. The biggest difference Pickhardt made was at the defensive end finishing with three blocked shots and altering many more.
"Pickhardt is like 6-1," Wellnitz said. "It's hard to know what she is going to do. You almost have to just fade away against her because she will block your shot. She is so tall and has so much size. It was tough. I think we did a lot better job finishing around her than we did in the first game."
In the first meeting where the Rockets beat the Warriors by 15 points, Randolph senior Michayla Swanson scored 20 points. The Warriors limited her to just four points, but Roberts picked up the scoring load.
"Good teams always have a third kid who steps up," Flanagan said. "You have to pick your poison. I thought we did a pretty good job on the defensive end. They are the kind of team that runs a lot of ball screens and you get hedged here and there. You have to give them credit. They made some tough shots."
Wellnitz will always remember winning the regional title 43-41 over Monticello this year even though she was forced off the court due to dehydration and didn't see how her teammates pulled it out.
"Making it this far when no one thought we could," Wellnitz said is something she will always cherish. "The team won the regional title without me. That is one of the best times we have had."
It was Michelle Flanagan's last game playing for her father.
"She's so much more than a basketball player to me," Mike Flanagan said. "I will miss coaching her, but I will still see her a lot. I think our seniors deserve a lot of the credit. All of our seniors contributed to the team. A senior-laden team is worth it's money. They are fighting not to let their season end."
