NEW GLARUS - Glarner Knights head coach Braden Rindy likes to pressure his opponents on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Friday night against Capitol Conference foe Wisconsin Heights, that heavy pressure turned into quick foul trouble.
"When you already have low numbers and you get into foul trouble, it's tough," Rindy said. "Then have to start shuffling your cards around and hope it goes well."
In the first two minutes of the game, New Glarus (0-4, 0-1 Capitol) was stung with six fouls. Going against Ali Wilkinson, a WisSports.net preseason candidate for Wisconsin's Miss Basketball award, the Knights knew the night may be long.
Wilkinson, the younger sister of former Wisconsin Badgers star Mike Wilkinson, started making New Glarus pay. Her inside game and free throw shooting led to 28 points (9-of-11 from the free throw line), five blocks, nearly a dozen rebounds and the need for respect in the lane.
"Being in foul trouble made a big difference. We really weren't able to play our game probably as much as we would have liked," Rindy said. "And maybe it's my fault too. I wanted to keep pressuring (Wisconsin Heights). That's when we really got into foul trouble. Maybe I did that for too long. But this team kept after it, and I'm proud of how well we played."
The Vanguards (4-0, 1-0) entered the bonus with just under four minutes left to play in the first quarter - but held just a 6-2 lead. That lead increased to 10-2 before the Knights Michelle Preston stole the rock and drained a 3-pointer just before time expired on the clock.
That wasn't the only time Preston helped spark the Knights.
Preston led New Glarus with 17 points, including three 3-pointers and a handful of steals in transition. Both teams reeled in steals as if the craft was going out of business.
In the second quarter, Wisconsin Heights got off to a rousing start. With three Knights already in foul trouble, the Vanguards went on a 12-2 run that forced Rindy to call a timeout with 5:57 left to play in the half.
New Glarus got its cool back and went on a brief 8-0 run late in the half to cut the score to 28-18 at halftime.
"I was very impressed with our team. Even though we were in foul trouble, they kept going at it and kept up the pressure," Rindy said. "They showed a lot of heart out there."
In the second half, Wilkinson took over. The all-conference senior scored 14 points in the third quarter.
However, the Knights kept digging with their pressure and kept the score to within single digits for much of the quarter.
"We have girls that play on JV and can't play all four quarters - and they know that coming in," Rindy said. "They were a little tired, but they stepped it up and did a great job and made a difference for us when they got in."
Two of those players were sophomore Lauren Narveson and freshman Alycia Atwell. Narveson scored all nine of her points in the second half, including two drives to the basket and a nifty put-back as time expired in the third, and Atwell added seven points while playing impressive defense on Wilkinson in the paint.
However, by the fourth quarter, fatigue and the penalties caught up to New Glarus. Junior guard Alissa Siegenthaler fouled out just 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, and forward Tanya Gruter (who had four fouls in the first half), joined her on the bench later in the period.
New Glarus cut Wisconsin Height's lead to 44-38 moments into the fourth, but the Vanguards went on an 11-2 run to move the game out of reach midway through the quarter.
Despite the loss, Rindy was still upbeat after the game.
"I just think as a team we really played well. We don't really have any standouts, and to me that's the good thing about us - that we play as a team. There's no one hot-shot on the team that's taking the focus," Rindy said.
The Knights have faced a tough schedule so far - Barneveld, Pecatonica, Lakeside Lutheran and Wisconsin Heights. That treacherous schedule continues Monday when they travel to Black Hawk to face the No. 5 ranked team in state.
"When you already have low numbers and you get into foul trouble, it's tough," Rindy said. "Then have to start shuffling your cards around and hope it goes well."
In the first two minutes of the game, New Glarus (0-4, 0-1 Capitol) was stung with six fouls. Going against Ali Wilkinson, a WisSports.net preseason candidate for Wisconsin's Miss Basketball award, the Knights knew the night may be long.
Wilkinson, the younger sister of former Wisconsin Badgers star Mike Wilkinson, started making New Glarus pay. Her inside game and free throw shooting led to 28 points (9-of-11 from the free throw line), five blocks, nearly a dozen rebounds and the need for respect in the lane.
"Being in foul trouble made a big difference. We really weren't able to play our game probably as much as we would have liked," Rindy said. "And maybe it's my fault too. I wanted to keep pressuring (Wisconsin Heights). That's when we really got into foul trouble. Maybe I did that for too long. But this team kept after it, and I'm proud of how well we played."
The Vanguards (4-0, 1-0) entered the bonus with just under four minutes left to play in the first quarter - but held just a 6-2 lead. That lead increased to 10-2 before the Knights Michelle Preston stole the rock and drained a 3-pointer just before time expired on the clock.
That wasn't the only time Preston helped spark the Knights.
Preston led New Glarus with 17 points, including three 3-pointers and a handful of steals in transition. Both teams reeled in steals as if the craft was going out of business.
In the second quarter, Wisconsin Heights got off to a rousing start. With three Knights already in foul trouble, the Vanguards went on a 12-2 run that forced Rindy to call a timeout with 5:57 left to play in the half.
New Glarus got its cool back and went on a brief 8-0 run late in the half to cut the score to 28-18 at halftime.
"I was very impressed with our team. Even though we were in foul trouble, they kept going at it and kept up the pressure," Rindy said. "They showed a lot of heart out there."
In the second half, Wilkinson took over. The all-conference senior scored 14 points in the third quarter.
However, the Knights kept digging with their pressure and kept the score to within single digits for much of the quarter.
"We have girls that play on JV and can't play all four quarters - and they know that coming in," Rindy said. "They were a little tired, but they stepped it up and did a great job and made a difference for us when they got in."
Two of those players were sophomore Lauren Narveson and freshman Alycia Atwell. Narveson scored all nine of her points in the second half, including two drives to the basket and a nifty put-back as time expired in the third, and Atwell added seven points while playing impressive defense on Wilkinson in the paint.
However, by the fourth quarter, fatigue and the penalties caught up to New Glarus. Junior guard Alissa Siegenthaler fouled out just 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, and forward Tanya Gruter (who had four fouls in the first half), joined her on the bench later in the period.
New Glarus cut Wisconsin Height's lead to 44-38 moments into the fourth, but the Vanguards went on an 11-2 run to move the game out of reach midway through the quarter.
Despite the loss, Rindy was still upbeat after the game.
"I just think as a team we really played well. We don't really have any standouts, and to me that's the good thing about us - that we play as a team. There's no one hot-shot on the team that's taking the focus," Rindy said.
The Knights have faced a tough schedule so far - Barneveld, Pecatonica, Lakeside Lutheran and Wisconsin Heights. That treacherous schedule continues Monday when they travel to Black Hawk to face the No. 5 ranked team in state.
