NEW GLARUS - The New Glarus girls basketball team turned up the defensive pressure when they needed to pick up a 43-35 Capitol South Conference win over rival Belleville Tuesday.
The Glarner Knights (4-7, 1-0 Capitol South) started in a 1-3-1 fullcourt press and raced out to a 15-6 lead in the first quarter. The Wildcats answered, outscoring the Knights 12-5 in the second quarter to trim the Knights' lead to two points at the half.
"This was probably our best four quarters of basketball we have played this year," New Glarus coach Megan Scheele said. "It (the 1-3-1 press) got them flustered a little bit in the first quarter."
When the Wildcats adjusted to the Knights' press, Scheele switched to a man-to-man defense in the second half. New Glarus outscored Belleville 10-4 in the fourth quarter to ice the win.
"It was nice to see our girls come back in the third quarter and play even, and in the fourth quarter we did a nice defensive job," Scheele said.
New Glarus junior Tamara Elzen scored a team-high nine points and junior Devyn Wieser added eight points. Belleville (3-8, 0-1) was led by Grace Schulting, who scored a game-high 11 points.
New Glarus will play at Marshall Friday.
"Marshall has won the conference the last couple of years," Scheele said. "It will be a test for us. They (New Glarus) should be confident in what we do. They are tough and quick. We will see what we can do."
Shullsburg 68, Argyle 59
ARGYLE - In a battle between two teams that love to press, Benton-Shullsburg knocked off Argyle 68-59 in a non-conference game.
Argyle (5-4, 3-1 Six Rivers East) went through a four-minute scoring drought in the third quarter as Benton-Shullsburg outscored the Orioles 19-13 to take a 55-43 lead.
"I thought that was a big momentum swing for them," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said of the Orioles' scoring drought. "They are a well-coached and deep team like we are. It was a well-played game on both sides."
Argyle senior Jenna Langmeier scored a game-high 20 points. Fellow teammate Hannah Saalsaa added 16 points.
Argyle will host Monticello Thursday with second place in the conference on the line.
"It was a good game to get us ready for a conference matchup with Monticello," Ritschard said. "We are not going to take them (Monticello) for granted; that's for sure."
Potosi 53, Pecatonica 41
BLANCHARDVILLE - With the way Pecatonica started from the opening tip it appeared like the Vikings were primed to pick up their first win of the season.
Pecatonica used a 13-2 run in the first quarter to jump out to an 11-point lead. The Chieftains responded by outscoring the Vikings 40-18 in the second half for a comeback 53-41 win.
"We came out and played well," Pecatonica coach Aaron Lancaster said. "We were playing really efficient and did a good job of attacking the basket in the first quarter."
With the loss, Pecatonica drops to 0-10, 0-4 Six Rivers East. The Chieftains flipped the script in the second half.
"I think we missed a lot of post shots," Lancaster said. "They got a lot of second-chance opportunities. We didn't do a good job of securing the first shot."
Potosi's Maddie Hawes scored a game-high 17 points. Teammates Calie Gibson and Abby Kaiser each added 15 points.
Pecatonica junior Sam Mabin scored a team-high 13 points to lead the Vikings and senior Sami Miller chipped in nine points.
The Glarner Knights (4-7, 1-0 Capitol South) started in a 1-3-1 fullcourt press and raced out to a 15-6 lead in the first quarter. The Wildcats answered, outscoring the Knights 12-5 in the second quarter to trim the Knights' lead to two points at the half.
"This was probably our best four quarters of basketball we have played this year," New Glarus coach Megan Scheele said. "It (the 1-3-1 press) got them flustered a little bit in the first quarter."
When the Wildcats adjusted to the Knights' press, Scheele switched to a man-to-man defense in the second half. New Glarus outscored Belleville 10-4 in the fourth quarter to ice the win.
"It was nice to see our girls come back in the third quarter and play even, and in the fourth quarter we did a nice defensive job," Scheele said.
New Glarus junior Tamara Elzen scored a team-high nine points and junior Devyn Wieser added eight points. Belleville (3-8, 0-1) was led by Grace Schulting, who scored a game-high 11 points.
New Glarus will play at Marshall Friday.
"Marshall has won the conference the last couple of years," Scheele said. "It will be a test for us. They (New Glarus) should be confident in what we do. They are tough and quick. We will see what we can do."
Shullsburg 68, Argyle 59
ARGYLE - In a battle between two teams that love to press, Benton-Shullsburg knocked off Argyle 68-59 in a non-conference game.
Argyle (5-4, 3-1 Six Rivers East) went through a four-minute scoring drought in the third quarter as Benton-Shullsburg outscored the Orioles 19-13 to take a 55-43 lead.
"I thought that was a big momentum swing for them," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said of the Orioles' scoring drought. "They are a well-coached and deep team like we are. It was a well-played game on both sides."
Argyle senior Jenna Langmeier scored a game-high 20 points. Fellow teammate Hannah Saalsaa added 16 points.
Argyle will host Monticello Thursday with second place in the conference on the line.
"It was a good game to get us ready for a conference matchup with Monticello," Ritschard said. "We are not going to take them (Monticello) for granted; that's for sure."
Potosi 53, Pecatonica 41
BLANCHARDVILLE - With the way Pecatonica started from the opening tip it appeared like the Vikings were primed to pick up their first win of the season.
Pecatonica used a 13-2 run in the first quarter to jump out to an 11-point lead. The Chieftains responded by outscoring the Vikings 40-18 in the second half for a comeback 53-41 win.
"We came out and played well," Pecatonica coach Aaron Lancaster said. "We were playing really efficient and did a good job of attacking the basket in the first quarter."
With the loss, Pecatonica drops to 0-10, 0-4 Six Rivers East. The Chieftains flipped the script in the second half.
"I think we missed a lot of post shots," Lancaster said. "They got a lot of second-chance opportunities. We didn't do a good job of securing the first shot."
Potosi's Maddie Hawes scored a game-high 17 points. Teammates Calie Gibson and Abby Kaiser each added 15 points.
Pecatonica junior Sam Mabin scored a team-high 13 points to lead the Vikings and senior Sami Miller chipped in nine points.
