BRODHEAD - The Brodhead girls basketball team took a special guest to dinner Saturday night. It was a meal the Cardinals won't soon forget.
The guest of honor was the Division 3 regional championship plaque - the first in program history - earned with an impressive 65-59 victory against Clinton in Saturday's regional final.
"We had pictures taken with the plaque and we just didn't let that thing go," Brodhead junior Taylor Douglas said. "We didn't let it out of our sight. We went out to eat as a team and we had that thing sitting right in the middle of the table."
The Cardinals (21-3), who will face East Troy (22-2) in a sectional semifinal at Fort Atkinson High School on Thursday at 7 p.m., were playing in their third straight regional final. Coach Brad Pickett said that experience certainly helped when Brodhead found itself trailing by seven points midway through the fourth quarter Saturday.
"Taylor kind of took it upon herself that this was going to be the year that we moved on from regionals," Pickett said. "Taylor and the girls finished that fourth quarter the way we expected them to."
Douglas scored a season-high 31 points, eclipsing her previous best of 29 against Beloit Turner on Feb. 9 - the Cardinals' first game after losing leading scorer Carly Mohns to a season-ending knee injury. Fifteen of those points came in the fourth quarter, including a 7-for-10 effort from the free throw line.
She received plenty of help, too, as sophomores Meg Duffield and Rachel Heller drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Cardinals even. Douglas then scored Brodhead's final 12 points as the Cardinals outscored Clinton 25-17 in the fourth quarter.
Douglas said she was stunned to learn she'd topped the 30-point plateau.
"Personally, I didn't even know how many points I had," she said. "I was just trying to keep the score close and was looking for whoever was open. (Her teammates) were like, 'Taylor, you have to attack,' and I took that to heart and attacked more and got some shots up."
Pickett said the Cardinals never lost their cool after losing a 24-11 first-half lead and finding themselves down in the fourth quarter.
"Last year we lost six games by five points or less and I think that experience obviously has carried over in a positive way for this group," Pickett said. "It's kind of a been there, done that situation. It's really benefited this group having played together the last 2-3 years. Especially the juniors, Mariah Ahrens, Amanda Pickel and Douglas. They've seen it all the last three years, so it really helps to have their leadership on the floor."
Heller finished with 13 points and Ahrens 11 for Brodhead, which extended its winning streak to seven games.
Mallory Niemann scored 27 points and Megan Lantz added 22 for Clinton (17-8), which lost three times to Brodhead.
Douglas said the Cardinals enjoyed the regional championship immensely.
"We're pretty psyched about it now, but the fact is that (Monday) after school, we're just starting over again," she said. "Yeah, we won a regional championship, but it's in the past now and we've got to focus on Thursday."
Rock Valley North champion East Troy defeated the Rock Valley South champion Cardinals 62-55 on Jan. 17 in Brodhead. Mohns scored 26 points in the loss.
Douglas and Co. have all picked up their offensive production since Mohns' injury, but the No. 2-seeded Cardinals know they face a stern test against the top-seeded Trojans.
"We've been playing some great basketball, but we know we can always play better," Douglas said. "We're going to take it to them and play our hearts out."
The guest of honor was the Division 3 regional championship plaque - the first in program history - earned with an impressive 65-59 victory against Clinton in Saturday's regional final.
"We had pictures taken with the plaque and we just didn't let that thing go," Brodhead junior Taylor Douglas said. "We didn't let it out of our sight. We went out to eat as a team and we had that thing sitting right in the middle of the table."
The Cardinals (21-3), who will face East Troy (22-2) in a sectional semifinal at Fort Atkinson High School on Thursday at 7 p.m., were playing in their third straight regional final. Coach Brad Pickett said that experience certainly helped when Brodhead found itself trailing by seven points midway through the fourth quarter Saturday.
"Taylor kind of took it upon herself that this was going to be the year that we moved on from regionals," Pickett said. "Taylor and the girls finished that fourth quarter the way we expected them to."
Douglas scored a season-high 31 points, eclipsing her previous best of 29 against Beloit Turner on Feb. 9 - the Cardinals' first game after losing leading scorer Carly Mohns to a season-ending knee injury. Fifteen of those points came in the fourth quarter, including a 7-for-10 effort from the free throw line.
She received plenty of help, too, as sophomores Meg Duffield and Rachel Heller drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Cardinals even. Douglas then scored Brodhead's final 12 points as the Cardinals outscored Clinton 25-17 in the fourth quarter.
Douglas said she was stunned to learn she'd topped the 30-point plateau.
"Personally, I didn't even know how many points I had," she said. "I was just trying to keep the score close and was looking for whoever was open. (Her teammates) were like, 'Taylor, you have to attack,' and I took that to heart and attacked more and got some shots up."
Pickett said the Cardinals never lost their cool after losing a 24-11 first-half lead and finding themselves down in the fourth quarter.
"Last year we lost six games by five points or less and I think that experience obviously has carried over in a positive way for this group," Pickett said. "It's kind of a been there, done that situation. It's really benefited this group having played together the last 2-3 years. Especially the juniors, Mariah Ahrens, Amanda Pickel and Douglas. They've seen it all the last three years, so it really helps to have their leadership on the floor."
Heller finished with 13 points and Ahrens 11 for Brodhead, which extended its winning streak to seven games.
Mallory Niemann scored 27 points and Megan Lantz added 22 for Clinton (17-8), which lost three times to Brodhead.
Douglas said the Cardinals enjoyed the regional championship immensely.
"We're pretty psyched about it now, but the fact is that (Monday) after school, we're just starting over again," she said. "Yeah, we won a regional championship, but it's in the past now and we've got to focus on Thursday."
Rock Valley North champion East Troy defeated the Rock Valley South champion Cardinals 62-55 on Jan. 17 in Brodhead. Mohns scored 26 points in the loss.
Douglas and Co. have all picked up their offensive production since Mohns' injury, but the No. 2-seeded Cardinals know they face a stern test against the top-seeded Trojans.
"We've been playing some great basketball, but we know we can always play better," Douglas said. "We're going to take it to them and play our hearts out."
