CUBA CITY — A loss marred the regular season finale for Darlington’s girls basketball team in a 68-40 split at Cuba City on Feb. 20. Despite the ending, the Redbirds (15-8, 10-4 SWAL) matched the No. 2 Cubans’ (18-5, 12-1) intensity for all 18 minutes of the first half.
Cuba City got the first basket at the charity stripe, but it was clear head coach Mike Flanagan’s Darlington squad came ready to fight from the tip.
“We played one of our best halves of basketball at Cuba City,” he said. “We were patient on offense and did a good job defending a talented squad with a lot of weapons.”
Lexie Meyers then threaded the needle to Lylah Norgard in the paint for an easy two.
The teams traded blows, leaving the game at a one possession split through the 11-minute mark, until Maddie Gratz drained a three in transition, boosting the traveling Redbirds to a 12-7 advantage. The Cubans trimmed the difference with a hook shot in the paint, before a Norgard free throw ended with a timeout from Flanagan with just over half of the opening frame remaining.
The Cuban offensive went unanswered out of the stoppage, scoring a trio of two’s before Meyers locked things up at 15 apiece with 7:20 to play. The tie stuck, with neither team gaining ground for nearly 80 seconds. Catie Hartwig broke the silence, planting her feet and launching a three that was all net.
With under five minutes to play, Meyers drained her second field goal, matching a Cuba City basket moments prior, and keeping Darlington ahead. The host team looked to kick off a sprint to the buzzer, and called a timeout to regroup.
The result was 10 unanswered points before a pair of field goals put the deficit at 27-24. The break was a chance for both squads to reload and adjust. Unfortunately, the prior run was a precursor of things to come.
“In the second, the Cubans showed an aggressive 1-3-1 defense that caused some difficulty for us, and led to a scoring outburst for them,” Flanagan said. “Once the momentum swung their way, they hit a lot of shots and quickly separated from us.”
Nine minutes in, and the Cubans separated themselves to the tune of a 58-30 score. They matched the Redbirds shot-for-shot to the closing buzzer.
“We never want to make excuses, but we certainly have been hindered by injuries,” Flanagan said. “With Sydney Wiegel out with a knee injury for over half the season and with starter Lilly Ritchie’s season recently ended with a knee injury of her own. That aside, we battled, and I am very proud of our girls for never quitting and never backing down.”
Gratz and Hartwig led Darlington with a 14- and 11-point effort, respectively. The only other Redbirds with a score to their name were Norgard (7 pts), and Goebel and Meyers with four points apiece. Norgard and Hartwig paced the team in rebounds with eight and six, each.
“If we can create just a little depth and figure out ways to sustain the energy and execution we exhibited for a half against one of the best teams in our area — and the state as a whole — it will bode well for our tournament goals,” Flanagan said. “From here on out, every game could be our last, so we just want to extend our season as long as possible.”
