BRODHEAD — In a Rock Valley Conference battle on Monday, Feb. 13, 2022 Player of the Year Abbie Dix and Division I West Virginia basketball recruit Ayianna Johnson went toe-to-toe in the post with Dix and the Cardinals coming out on top 47-40.
“She’s an overall really good player,” Dix said of Johnson. “I contested most of her shots and they still went in. She is a really good player and me giving her that competition will help her get ready for her going to play in college and her helping me in high school ball. I like going against her. She’s probably my favorite person to go against.”
The post contest didn’t heat up until the second half, as Brodhead’s first possession — which lasted over a minute — came up empty. Jefferson took advantage right away with a 3-pointer from Ashlyn Enke.
Alecia Dahl responded with a basket, drawing a foul on Johnson. She had an opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line but missed.
After a pair of buckets exchanged between Johnson and Taetum Hoesly, Enke sank another three. Dahl, too, hit the replay button drawing Johnson’s second foul in eight minutes. This time, she made both of her shots at the charity stripe.
The Cardinals got within one with a free throw from Makenna Schooff, but the Eagles pulled away again with shots from Enke and Libby Krause. Brodhead finally took a lead with a 13-0 run to close out the half.
Dix sparked the run with an offensive put-back. Currently, Dix leads the team with 12.1 rebounds per game. In the Cardinals’ 56-40 win over Whitewater on Friday, Feb. 10, Dix grabbed 16 rebounds, surpassing 1,000 for her career, which was last done by former Brodhead Cardinal and Iowa Hawkeye Carly Mohns.
After an and-one from Dix at the charity stripe, Addison Yates hit back-to-back to threes for a 13-12 lead.
“Having a healthy Addi that can get us 30 minutes a game out there is a huge difference,” Brodhead head coach Brian Kammerer said. “We have more threats. She’s really coming on, and we are only going to continue to see big things from her.”
The Eagles then turned the ball over with an offensive foul from Jena Lenz, who attempted to get distance between her and defender Dahl. Although the Cardinal’s next possession came up empty, Dix grabbed a steal, turning it into two points on Brodhead’s end of the court.
With the clock winding down to halftime, Dahl put up a three that hit the front of the rim, bounced straight up and got a friendly roll into the net. With her shot, Brodhead took a 21-12 lead into the locker room.
Out of the half, Dix and Johnson’s battle began. The pair exchanged baskets back and forth. Jefferson had the edge though, as Lenz drained a three. With two free throws from Aeryn Messman, the Eagles closed within two.
Yates erased Messman’s free throws with two of her own. Dix and Johnson then exchanged another pair of baskets. Johnson scored again for Jefferson, as she stole the ball and turned it into two points. Just as her offense was heating up though, Johnson picked up her fourth foul with nine minutes remaining and headed to the bench.
In her subsequent trip to the free-throw line, Dahl made both of her shots. Dahl then assisted Dix with a lob pass into the post for two points.
The Cardinals continued to pull away from the Eagles while Johnson sat on the bench. Yates hit her third 3-pointer, and Dix battled down low for two, giving Brodhead a 38-31 lead.
Momentum shifted, though, as Hoesly and Dix picked up their third fouls in back-to-back possessions. Coming off the bench with four minutes left in the game, Johnson wasted no time in scoring. Although Yates sank another three, Dix picked up her fourth foul, and Johnson made both shots at the free-throw line. With Dahl’s second foul, Johnson went to the line for bonus, making one free throw.
Jefferson kept feeding Johnson in the post, but Dix stood her ground. With two minutes left in the game, Johnson charged into Dix, fouling out.
“She’s a D-I West Virginia recruit. You know their plan was to get her the ball,” Kammerer said. “We couldn’t stop her. Luckily our lead was big enough and that charge call pretty much killed the momentum for them. If she doesn’t get that charge call, I don’t think we could stop her. I thought we were doing a nice job double- and triple-teaming her, and she was still finishing.”
With Johnson out and a seven-point lead, Brodhead just needed to run the clock out. Jefferson fouled, sending Yates to the line for bonus, where she ended the game with a pair of free throws.
Yates paced the Cardinals with 16 points, going 4-for-5 at the charity stripe with four 3-pointers. Dix trailed with 15 points, all but one of which was made in the post. Dahl was the third player in double figures with 13 points, including the team’s fifth 3-pointer.
