BRODHEAD — The Cardinals picked up an emotional 60-51 win in front of their home fans Feb. 12 against Lakeside Lutheran in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal, then lost to top-seeded Lake Mills the following night.
The up-and-down close to the season was similar to teams across the state. Brodhead (12-4) was able to ring off 16 games this season, which hampered teams across the state that dealt with COVID-19 restrictions and several postponements due to inclement weather.
Lake Mills (21-2) entered the postseason ranked fifth in the state in D3 and played like it against the Cardinals, winning 75-48. The L-Cats finished the night with four players in double figures and hit 10 of 20 3-point attempts. By halftime, Brodhead found itself trailing 48-25, with the second half all but a formality of the host team moving on.
The day before against Lake Mills’ cross-town rival Lakeside Lutheran, Brodhead let the lead slip away in the second half, only to regain it — and then some — moments later. The Cardinals took a 5-2 lead less than 4 minutes into the game and didn’t relinquish it until there was 4:25 left in regulation. A basket in the paint by Abbie Dix with 3:47 put Brodhead back into the lead — and this time the advantage would hold.
The Warriors (9-11) battled immense foul trouble in the first half, but so did Brodhead. While Lakeside was whistled evenly across the board, the Cardinals had it hit where it hurt the most. Dix, one of the state’s leading scorers all year, picked up her second foul with 8:51 left to play in the first half and her team ahead 19-10. Tori Urness and Joie Steinmann came in to provide valuable minutes for the home team, which went into the break with a 36-28 lead.
“To extend that lead with a kid like Abbie Dix out, that’s just a credit to those kids that were in there,” Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer said.
Kiarra Moe provided much of the offense in the first half for Brodhead. The junior guard scored 12 points, and both she and fellow junior Onnikah Oliver hit two 3-pointers during the frame.
In the second half, Dix took over, scoring 11 of her 16 points. Not that she stayed out of foul trouble, however, as 9 of the 11 points came after she had four fouls. The sophomore forward picked up her third foul with 15:25 left in regulation, and then 15 seconds later was called four foul No. 4 on what appeared to be a clean block.
“It felt like we were starting to hit the panic button and force quick shots and we didn’t need to. We had that 10-point lead and we needed to just keep doing what we were doing — but we didn’t,” Kammerer said. “I thought when we finally got our composure and started running stuff, good things happened.”
Lakeside used the opportunity to make an 8-0 run to tie the score at 38. Brodhead countered with an 8-0 run of its own, only for the Warriors to follow with 9 straight points.
After a pair of traded free throws, Dix was back in the game and immediately made a difference, taking a pass in the paint from junior Madisyn Kail and putting the Cardinals on top for good. Moe hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Addie Yates drove to the dish 30 seconds later to put the Cardinals up by 6.
“I’ll give Addie Yates credit — she has a lot of potential. She’s got a lot of things she needs to work on to get better at, but she came in and gave us a spark off the bench when we were in foul trouble,” Kammerer said. “I thought Tori Urness and Joie Steinmann gave us a spark off the bench when Abbie Dix was in foul trouble. We just found ways to stay in the game.”
Moe’s 17 points paced Brodhead, with Dix finishing with 16. Yates, Oliver and Kail each had 7 points. Brodhead finished 16 of 27 from the free throw line and hit six 3s. Lakeside was 8 of 19 from the line and hit just three triples. The Warriors were whistled 25 times, while the Cardinals were called for 17 fouls.
“There were times where we hit the panic button a little bit on offense. I thought their defensive pressure got us out of rhythm a little bit, but some kids stepped up and we were able to knock down enough free throws to advance to tomorrow,” Kammerer said. “I can’t say enough about our kids — we played a good team. Lakeside Lutheran is a good team and a quality opponent.”
In the final game of the season at Lake Mills, Kail scored a team-high 19 points, with Moe finishing with 12. Dix was held to just two points.
