WILLIAMS BAY - Albany senior Sydnee Woyak and sophomore Haley Freitag combined to score 23 points to help the ninth-seeded Comets upset eighth-seeded Williams Bay 50-47 Tuesday in a WIAA Division 5 girls basketball regional quarterfinal.
Woyak scored 13 points, and Freitag added 10 points to power Albany. Albany (6-17) advances to play No. 1 seed Fall River in a regional semifinal game Friday.
"It was a gritty win," Albany coach Adam Wamsley said. "To go up there on the road and get a win in the first round, I'm really proud of the girls."
The Comets had double-digit leads in both the first and second halves. Williams Bay never led in the game.
"We just couldn't close it out and missed free throws were a part of it," Wamsley said after the Comets made 20 of 38 free throws.
Albany freshman Payton Zurfluh chipped in seven points.
Fall River, which made a state tournament run last year, will pose a challenge for the Comets.
"It will be a tough matchup," Wamsley said. "We are a young team. They are one of the best teams in the state. We will prepare and go in there and play one possession at a time. We will see what happens."
Black Hawk 78,
Madison Country Day 25
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk senior Aleigha Sigafus scored a game-high 25 points and the Warriors had five players reach double figures en route to an easy win over Madison Country Day in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Fourth-seeded Black Hawk (13-9) will host fifth-seeded Rio in a regional semifinal game Friday.
Black Hawk sophomore Hannah Herbst scored 12 points and had seven assists and six steals.
"Hannah had a big all-around game," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said.
Black Hawk's Melissa Flanagan added 12 points, all on 3-pointers. The Warriors hit seven 3-pointers.
"She took advantage of the opportunities," Mike Flanagan said. "They (Madison Country Day) struggled getting out to the shooters. She shot with confidence. That's nice to see."
Black Hawk senior Brooke Moore had 12 points, and sophomore Brianna Hagen chipped in 10 point, including two 3-pointers.
Black Hawk had a 58-14 lead at the half.
Flanagan said the regional semifinal game against Rio will be a much different game.
"They (Rio) are a scary team," he said. "They have two really good guards, and they like to score in transition. We really have to get back on defense and make sure they have to play a halfcourt game."
Juda 45,
Cambria-Friesland 32
JUDA - Chelsea Burkhalter scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the Panthers (13-10) past the Hilltoppers.
"That was a goal for us this season, to get a home playoff game and then a win, and now we'll see what we can do Friday night," Juda coach Curt Brown said.
That's when seven-seeded Juda will travel to Randolph to face the second-seeded Rockets (16-7), who defeated Madison Abundant Life/St. Ambrose 63-14 Tuesday, in a Division 5 regional semifinal.
Brown said the Panthers found holes in the Cambria-Friesland zone in the first half Tuesday to build a 24-11 advantage.
Burkhalter had eight points in the first half, Alexis Goecks added six, and MacKenzie Byrne scored all five of her points.
Goecks finished with 11 points.
The win helps wash away the bad taste left from last year's regional quarterfinal when Albany rallied to beat the Panthers in overtime.
Waterloo 51,
Darlington 34
WATERLOO - The Redbirds got off to a slow start in the first half and Waterloo rolled to a 51-34 win in a Division 4 regional quarterfinal.
Waterloo built a 30-13 lead by halftime. The Redbirds and Pirates both scored 21 points in the second half.
Darlington junior Taryn Rankin scored a team-high 10 points. Junior Taylor Jacobson added six points.
Barneveld 67,
Pecatonica 27
BARNEVELD - Senior Hannah Whitish scored a game-high 36 points to lead top-ranked Barneveld past Pecatonica in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Barneveld (23-0) opened the game with a 26-0 run. Whitish, a University of Nebraska recruit, has scored 2,001 career points, the most in the history of Barneveld's program. Whitish added seven assists and six rebounds.
Pecatonica junior Liz Tisch scored a team-high 12 points. Pecatonica closes the season with a 1-22 record.
Rio 54, Argyle 49
RIO - Sophomore guard Dakota Hutzler scored a game-high 28 points to propel Rio past Argyle in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Argyle (3-20) led by two points at the half. Rio outscored the Orioles 31-24 in the second half.
Woyak scored 13 points, and Freitag added 10 points to power Albany. Albany (6-17) advances to play No. 1 seed Fall River in a regional semifinal game Friday.
"It was a gritty win," Albany coach Adam Wamsley said. "To go up there on the road and get a win in the first round, I'm really proud of the girls."
The Comets had double-digit leads in both the first and second halves. Williams Bay never led in the game.
"We just couldn't close it out and missed free throws were a part of it," Wamsley said after the Comets made 20 of 38 free throws.
Albany freshman Payton Zurfluh chipped in seven points.
Fall River, which made a state tournament run last year, will pose a challenge for the Comets.
"It will be a tough matchup," Wamsley said. "We are a young team. They are one of the best teams in the state. We will prepare and go in there and play one possession at a time. We will see what happens."
Black Hawk 78,
Madison Country Day 25
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk senior Aleigha Sigafus scored a game-high 25 points and the Warriors had five players reach double figures en route to an easy win over Madison Country Day in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Fourth-seeded Black Hawk (13-9) will host fifth-seeded Rio in a regional semifinal game Friday.
Black Hawk sophomore Hannah Herbst scored 12 points and had seven assists and six steals.
"Hannah had a big all-around game," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said.
Black Hawk's Melissa Flanagan added 12 points, all on 3-pointers. The Warriors hit seven 3-pointers.
"She took advantage of the opportunities," Mike Flanagan said. "They (Madison Country Day) struggled getting out to the shooters. She shot with confidence. That's nice to see."
Black Hawk senior Brooke Moore had 12 points, and sophomore Brianna Hagen chipped in 10 point, including two 3-pointers.
Black Hawk had a 58-14 lead at the half.
Flanagan said the regional semifinal game against Rio will be a much different game.
"They (Rio) are a scary team," he said. "They have two really good guards, and they like to score in transition. We really have to get back on defense and make sure they have to play a halfcourt game."
Juda 45,
Cambria-Friesland 32
JUDA - Chelsea Burkhalter scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the Panthers (13-10) past the Hilltoppers.
"That was a goal for us this season, to get a home playoff game and then a win, and now we'll see what we can do Friday night," Juda coach Curt Brown said.
That's when seven-seeded Juda will travel to Randolph to face the second-seeded Rockets (16-7), who defeated Madison Abundant Life/St. Ambrose 63-14 Tuesday, in a Division 5 regional semifinal.
Brown said the Panthers found holes in the Cambria-Friesland zone in the first half Tuesday to build a 24-11 advantage.
Burkhalter had eight points in the first half, Alexis Goecks added six, and MacKenzie Byrne scored all five of her points.
Goecks finished with 11 points.
The win helps wash away the bad taste left from last year's regional quarterfinal when Albany rallied to beat the Panthers in overtime.
Waterloo 51,
Darlington 34
WATERLOO - The Redbirds got off to a slow start in the first half and Waterloo rolled to a 51-34 win in a Division 4 regional quarterfinal.
Waterloo built a 30-13 lead by halftime. The Redbirds and Pirates both scored 21 points in the second half.
Darlington junior Taryn Rankin scored a team-high 10 points. Junior Taylor Jacobson added six points.
Barneveld 67,
Pecatonica 27
BARNEVELD - Senior Hannah Whitish scored a game-high 36 points to lead top-ranked Barneveld past Pecatonica in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Barneveld (23-0) opened the game with a 26-0 run. Whitish, a University of Nebraska recruit, has scored 2,001 career points, the most in the history of Barneveld's program. Whitish added seven assists and six rebounds.
Pecatonica junior Liz Tisch scored a team-high 12 points. Pecatonica closes the season with a 1-22 record.
Rio 54, Argyle 49
RIO - Sophomore guard Dakota Hutzler scored a game-high 28 points to propel Rio past Argyle in a Division 5 regional quarterfinal.
Argyle (3-20) led by two points at the half. Rio outscored the Orioles 31-24 in the second half.
