BRODHEAD - Brad Pickett got all the reactions a coach could ask for in Brodhead's 47-36 non-conference victory over Dodgeville at home Tuesday night.
His Cardinals used a 21-4 run spanning 8 minutes and 53 seconds to turn a 15-7 deficit midway through the second period into a 28-19 lead with 2:33 left in the third.
The 6-2 spurt they used to close the half came with their leading scorer, 6-foot, 2-inch forward Dana Lewis on the bench. She sat the last 11 minutes of the half after reacting poorly following a missed shot.
"I kept thinking, 'I'm gonna get back in, I'm gonna get back in,' but then I didn't get back in the whole second quarter," Lewis said. "In the third quarter, I went out with the attitude that I had to go out and make up for it."
"She just needed a little reminder," Pickett said. "And she did a nice job coming out in the third quarter and asserted herself like everybody knows she can."
Lewis couldn't have looked more motivated in the second half. She scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter, including a single-handed 10-0 run in a 3:24 span. She opened the surge with a nice catch of an entry pass by Riley Olson. Sandwiched between Nicole Riemenapp and Maria Bakker along the right baseline, she rose up and splashed a seven-footer before hitting the hardwood. She hit the freebie to complete the three-point play. Another Lewis free throw capped the 21-4 run.
Olson hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key to open the fourth and give the Cards a 33-23 lead. Then freshman Taylor Douglas craftily crossed up her defender inside the top of the key on a 1-on-1 fast break before finishing a lefty lay-up. The teams traded scores before Lewis scored a basket out of a time out that spelled the Dodgers' demise.
"I told Mariah (Mohns), 'If they play behind me, just get it in,'" Lewis said.
The junior Mohns lofted an inbounds pass to a triple-covered Lewis from right in front of the Brodhead bench. Lewis rose above the triple team to swish her shot and seize a 41-31 lead with 4:09 to play.
When Lewis sat down just over midway through the opening period, the Cards trailed 9-4, which was the score after one. Mohns, who finished second in scoring for Brodhead with eight points, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to open the second before the Dodgers scored six points in 35 seconds.
Then, after giving up offensive rebounds like wildfire over the first 12 minutes, the Cards clamped down.
"Obviously Dana in the middle helps us a ton, but being able to put out a smaller, quicker lineup doesn't hurt us either," Pickett said. "Our guards can get out and contain penetration, get in people's faces."
On the other end, those same defenders were equally tenacious on the offensive end, scoring on three straight trips, all via reloads. The first came from Douglas, who grabbed an offensive board and looked for options before spinning into the lane and scoring.
"It's no secret that Taylor is one of our strongest kids and isn't afraid to mix it up - that's one of her best attributes," Pickett said.
After a tough take by Megan Heller got Brodhead within four at 17-13, Amanda Johnson put back her own miss, swishing the second try as she fell to the floor.
The Dodgers pressed throughout the game, but the Cardinals used multiple breakers to navigate the pressure fairly routinely.
The victory could ultimately play a role in the WIAA Division 2 playoff seeding, which wasn't lost on Lewis.
"This was a big game. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half, but we really cleaned it up in the third quarter and took the lead. From there it was just keep on rolling, Lewis said.
His Cardinals used a 21-4 run spanning 8 minutes and 53 seconds to turn a 15-7 deficit midway through the second period into a 28-19 lead with 2:33 left in the third.
The 6-2 spurt they used to close the half came with their leading scorer, 6-foot, 2-inch forward Dana Lewis on the bench. She sat the last 11 minutes of the half after reacting poorly following a missed shot.
"I kept thinking, 'I'm gonna get back in, I'm gonna get back in,' but then I didn't get back in the whole second quarter," Lewis said. "In the third quarter, I went out with the attitude that I had to go out and make up for it."
"She just needed a little reminder," Pickett said. "And she did a nice job coming out in the third quarter and asserted herself like everybody knows she can."
Lewis couldn't have looked more motivated in the second half. She scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter, including a single-handed 10-0 run in a 3:24 span. She opened the surge with a nice catch of an entry pass by Riley Olson. Sandwiched between Nicole Riemenapp and Maria Bakker along the right baseline, she rose up and splashed a seven-footer before hitting the hardwood. She hit the freebie to complete the three-point play. Another Lewis free throw capped the 21-4 run.
Olson hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key to open the fourth and give the Cards a 33-23 lead. Then freshman Taylor Douglas craftily crossed up her defender inside the top of the key on a 1-on-1 fast break before finishing a lefty lay-up. The teams traded scores before Lewis scored a basket out of a time out that spelled the Dodgers' demise.
"I told Mariah (Mohns), 'If they play behind me, just get it in,'" Lewis said.
The junior Mohns lofted an inbounds pass to a triple-covered Lewis from right in front of the Brodhead bench. Lewis rose above the triple team to swish her shot and seize a 41-31 lead with 4:09 to play.
When Lewis sat down just over midway through the opening period, the Cards trailed 9-4, which was the score after one. Mohns, who finished second in scoring for Brodhead with eight points, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to open the second before the Dodgers scored six points in 35 seconds.
Then, after giving up offensive rebounds like wildfire over the first 12 minutes, the Cards clamped down.
"Obviously Dana in the middle helps us a ton, but being able to put out a smaller, quicker lineup doesn't hurt us either," Pickett said. "Our guards can get out and contain penetration, get in people's faces."
On the other end, those same defenders were equally tenacious on the offensive end, scoring on three straight trips, all via reloads. The first came from Douglas, who grabbed an offensive board and looked for options before spinning into the lane and scoring.
"It's no secret that Taylor is one of our strongest kids and isn't afraid to mix it up - that's one of her best attributes," Pickett said.
After a tough take by Megan Heller got Brodhead within four at 17-13, Amanda Johnson put back her own miss, swishing the second try as she fell to the floor.
The Dodgers pressed throughout the game, but the Cardinals used multiple breakers to navigate the pressure fairly routinely.
The victory could ultimately play a role in the WIAA Division 2 playoff seeding, which wasn't lost on Lewis.
"This was a big game. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half, but we really cleaned it up in the third quarter and took the lead. From there it was just keep on rolling, Lewis said.
