BRODHEAD - A lot of teardrops fall at this point of the girls basketball season, but they don't always have a negative connotation. Just ask Amanda Johnson.
Once hers started falling for Brodhead against Edgerton Thursday in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal, her Cardinals collective mood soared en route to a 47-33 victory.
The diminutive Brodhead senior swished two high-arcing lay-ups and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to score all 10 of her points in the second half.
"She stepped up big for us in the second half," Brodhead coach Brad Pickett said. "When she goes to the basket under control, she's tough to guard because she's so quick."
Brodhead (16-8, 13-3 Rock Valley South) earned a shot at the top-seeded Monroe Cheesemakers in a regional final at 4 p.m. Saturday at Verona Area High School.
After junior Mariah Mohns gave Brodhead a 19-18 lead with a reverse lay-up from left to right, the right-handed Johnson got the right baseline and bounced inside to swish a left-handed teardrop with 2:30 left in the third.
"In the beginning of the season, I wasn't able to make those teardrops," Johnson said. "Finally making them in a regional game was very exciting."
Edgerton (15-9, 12-4 Rock Valley South) junior Meggie Schmidt, who tied Brodhead senior Dana Lewis with a game-high 13 points, hit a 3 to the right of the circle to knot the score at 21, but Johnson drove and kicked to classmate Megan Heller, who swished an answer from the right wing.
"Pickett always says start driving and then everyone will get going," Johnson said. "Once we keep driving, we can kick it out - like when Megan Heller hit one of those big 3s."
The triple triggered an 8-0 run, capped by a 3 by senior Riley Olson off a kickout from Lewis in the post.
Edgerton managed a 5-0 spurt, but Brodhead fired back with a 12-2 run. Johnson capped it by hitting two dagger-like free throws that made it 41-28 with 1:20 left to play.
Brodhead held Edgerton without a field goal for 11 minutes, 22 seconds in the first half and built an 11-4 lead before allowing a 6-2 run to close the half.
"No shots were falling," Edgerton coach Mike Schmidt said of his club that went nearly 8 minutes without a point after freshman Kassie Walters opened the scoring with a 3 with 5:42 left in the first. "Because our defense was so good, we were right there."
The Cards were the only Rock Valley club the Tiders couldn't solve this season. The Tiders beat every other team in both the North and South and had won eight of nine entering Thursday night's semifinal.
Brodhead's season opened with a 51-41 setback in Monroe. The 22-1 Cheesemakers are the second-ranked Division 2 program in the state.
"That's where we've all wanted to be - playing against Monroe," Heller said.
"This was our goal - to get back to Monroe and have another chance," Johnson said. "Now we have it. We're going to have to come out and play with everything we've got."
Once hers started falling for Brodhead against Edgerton Thursday in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal, her Cardinals collective mood soared en route to a 47-33 victory.
The diminutive Brodhead senior swished two high-arcing lay-ups and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to score all 10 of her points in the second half.
"She stepped up big for us in the second half," Brodhead coach Brad Pickett said. "When she goes to the basket under control, she's tough to guard because she's so quick."
Brodhead (16-8, 13-3 Rock Valley South) earned a shot at the top-seeded Monroe Cheesemakers in a regional final at 4 p.m. Saturday at Verona Area High School.
After junior Mariah Mohns gave Brodhead a 19-18 lead with a reverse lay-up from left to right, the right-handed Johnson got the right baseline and bounced inside to swish a left-handed teardrop with 2:30 left in the third.
"In the beginning of the season, I wasn't able to make those teardrops," Johnson said. "Finally making them in a regional game was very exciting."
Edgerton (15-9, 12-4 Rock Valley South) junior Meggie Schmidt, who tied Brodhead senior Dana Lewis with a game-high 13 points, hit a 3 to the right of the circle to knot the score at 21, but Johnson drove and kicked to classmate Megan Heller, who swished an answer from the right wing.
"Pickett always says start driving and then everyone will get going," Johnson said. "Once we keep driving, we can kick it out - like when Megan Heller hit one of those big 3s."
The triple triggered an 8-0 run, capped by a 3 by senior Riley Olson off a kickout from Lewis in the post.
Edgerton managed a 5-0 spurt, but Brodhead fired back with a 12-2 run. Johnson capped it by hitting two dagger-like free throws that made it 41-28 with 1:20 left to play.
Brodhead held Edgerton without a field goal for 11 minutes, 22 seconds in the first half and built an 11-4 lead before allowing a 6-2 run to close the half.
"No shots were falling," Edgerton coach Mike Schmidt said of his club that went nearly 8 minutes without a point after freshman Kassie Walters opened the scoring with a 3 with 5:42 left in the first. "Because our defense was so good, we were right there."
The Cards were the only Rock Valley club the Tiders couldn't solve this season. The Tiders beat every other team in both the North and South and had won eight of nine entering Thursday night's semifinal.
Brodhead's season opened with a 51-41 setback in Monroe. The 22-1 Cheesemakers are the second-ranked Division 2 program in the state.
"That's where we've all wanted to be - playing against Monroe," Heller said.
"This was our goal - to get back to Monroe and have another chance," Johnson said. "Now we have it. We're going to have to come out and play with everything we've got."
