BRODHEAD - With the game on the line, Carly Mohns turned into the go-to player the Brodhead girls basketball team has come to expect and rely on.
Mohns, a junior, scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to power the Cardinals to a thrilling 58-52 win over Clinton in a WIAA Division 3 regional championship game Saturday.
"I just really wanted to come out and dominate," Mohns said. "After being down, you just want to redeem yourselves."
Brodhead (23-1), ranked fifth in the Division 3 Associated Press state poll, trailed by as many as seven points in the second half. But the Cardinals stormed back with a 12-1 run in the third quarter.
"I think we did a good job as a team of fighting through our downs," Mohns said. "We wanted to get some offensive rebounds and get up. I thought we did an outstanding job as a team going to the boards and sticking together."
Mohns scored on a layup with 5 minutes, 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a 44-36 lead. Brodhead junior Meg Duffield and senior Mariah Ahrens were also able to score on layups. Ahrens' layup, with 1:28 to go, gave the Cardinals a 52-48 lead. Clinton's Mallory Niemann knocked down a jumper with 1:11 left that sliced the Cardinals' lead to 52-50.
Mohns answered, slashing to the basket for a layup she was fouled on with 54.5 seconds to go. She converted the conventional three-point play by sinking the free throw to give the Cardinals a 55-50 lead.
"She is just a special player," Brodhead coach Brad Pickett said of Mohns. "You usually don't see a star player go after those rebounds and get on the floor. That is what makes her special."
Brodhead out-rebounded Clinton 36-24. It was the tale of two halves for the Cardinals on offense. Brodhead shot 24.3 percent in the first half (10 of 41). However, the Cardinals had 16 of their 21 offensive rebounds in the first half. Mohns scored the first five points for the Cardinals. The Cougars closed the second quarter with a 7-2 spurt. Clinton's Megan Lantz, who scored a team-high 18 points, hit a jumper to give the Cougars a 20-19 lead. Clinton's Taryn Ciochon, drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Niemann knocked down a jumper to give the Cougars a 25-21 lead at the half.
"We were not really doing anything wrong," Pickett said of the first half. "We just couldn't finish. Clinton was playing really good defense, but we couldn't finish."
Mohns still has confidence in her team's shooting ability. The Cardinals average several 3-pointers a game, but didn't make one against the Cougars.
"Our shooters can shoot the ball," Mohns said. "They were just a little bit off tonight."
Brodhead senior Taylor Douglas scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half and Ahrens scored all seven of her points in the second half. Clinton's Sadie Stueck drilled a 3-pointer with 6:39 left in the third quarter to give the Cougars a 30-23 lead.
Brodhead answered with a 12-1 run fueled by Mohns and a Cardinals' defense that forced three straight turnovers. Mohns scored on a putback to tie the game at 31 with 4:21 to go in the period. She then hit a jumper about midway through the period to give the Cardinals a 33-31 lead.
"We just had to stay calm," Pickett said after the Cardinals trailed by seven points in the second half. "We knew they were going to go on some runs. We went to that zone and that flustered them a little bit and helped get us back in it."
Brodhead now will gear up for a sectional semifinal showdown Thursday against Lodi (22-2) in Janesville.
The Blue Devils use a 2-3 zone that features a lot of size.
"We have to do what we do," Pickett said. "You can't reinvent the wheel now. We have to come out and play good defense. Hopefully, that will be enough to get us through."
The Cardinals are just two wins from the state tournament. Mohns is focusing on what she and her teammates can control.
"We just have to worry about what we do," she said. "If we play our game, I think we will be a dangerous team."
Mohns, a junior, scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to power the Cardinals to a thrilling 58-52 win over Clinton in a WIAA Division 3 regional championship game Saturday.
"I just really wanted to come out and dominate," Mohns said. "After being down, you just want to redeem yourselves."
Brodhead (23-1), ranked fifth in the Division 3 Associated Press state poll, trailed by as many as seven points in the second half. But the Cardinals stormed back with a 12-1 run in the third quarter.
"I think we did a good job as a team of fighting through our downs," Mohns said. "We wanted to get some offensive rebounds and get up. I thought we did an outstanding job as a team going to the boards and sticking together."
Mohns scored on a layup with 5 minutes, 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a 44-36 lead. Brodhead junior Meg Duffield and senior Mariah Ahrens were also able to score on layups. Ahrens' layup, with 1:28 to go, gave the Cardinals a 52-48 lead. Clinton's Mallory Niemann knocked down a jumper with 1:11 left that sliced the Cardinals' lead to 52-50.
Mohns answered, slashing to the basket for a layup she was fouled on with 54.5 seconds to go. She converted the conventional three-point play by sinking the free throw to give the Cardinals a 55-50 lead.
"She is just a special player," Brodhead coach Brad Pickett said of Mohns. "You usually don't see a star player go after those rebounds and get on the floor. That is what makes her special."
Brodhead out-rebounded Clinton 36-24. It was the tale of two halves for the Cardinals on offense. Brodhead shot 24.3 percent in the first half (10 of 41). However, the Cardinals had 16 of their 21 offensive rebounds in the first half. Mohns scored the first five points for the Cardinals. The Cougars closed the second quarter with a 7-2 spurt. Clinton's Megan Lantz, who scored a team-high 18 points, hit a jumper to give the Cougars a 20-19 lead. Clinton's Taryn Ciochon, drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Niemann knocked down a jumper to give the Cougars a 25-21 lead at the half.
"We were not really doing anything wrong," Pickett said of the first half. "We just couldn't finish. Clinton was playing really good defense, but we couldn't finish."
Mohns still has confidence in her team's shooting ability. The Cardinals average several 3-pointers a game, but didn't make one against the Cougars.
"Our shooters can shoot the ball," Mohns said. "They were just a little bit off tonight."
Brodhead senior Taylor Douglas scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half and Ahrens scored all seven of her points in the second half. Clinton's Sadie Stueck drilled a 3-pointer with 6:39 left in the third quarter to give the Cougars a 30-23 lead.
Brodhead answered with a 12-1 run fueled by Mohns and a Cardinals' defense that forced three straight turnovers. Mohns scored on a putback to tie the game at 31 with 4:21 to go in the period. She then hit a jumper about midway through the period to give the Cardinals a 33-31 lead.
"We just had to stay calm," Pickett said after the Cardinals trailed by seven points in the second half. "We knew they were going to go on some runs. We went to that zone and that flustered them a little bit and helped get us back in it."
Brodhead now will gear up for a sectional semifinal showdown Thursday against Lodi (22-2) in Janesville.
The Blue Devils use a 2-3 zone that features a lot of size.
"We have to do what we do," Pickett said. "You can't reinvent the wheel now. We have to come out and play good defense. Hopefully, that will be enough to get us through."
The Cardinals are just two wins from the state tournament. Mohns is focusing on what she and her teammates can control.
"We just have to worry about what we do," she said. "If we play our game, I think we will be a dangerous team."
