DODGEVILLE — Don’t let the final score of 53-36 fool you. The Division 5 sectional semifinal between Argyle-Pecatonica and the Barneveld Golden Eagles was a fight to the finish in front of over 1,300 fans at Dodgeville on Thursday, March 5.
Barneveld held a 35-34 lead with 5:05 to play in the game. But, AP scored just two points the rest of the way and Barneveld made 13 of 16 free throws in the second half to keep Argyle-Pec from making a run.
The two Six Rivers Conference teams split their two games during the regular season with AP winning the first game 57-48 on Jan. 19 and Barneveld taking the second game 59-56 Feb. 19.
In this “rubber game” of the season between the two teams, senior Izzy Durst got a three-point play to put Barneveld up 9-6 with 13:46 left in the first half. Senior Loretta Tisch of AP countered with a basket on a back-door cut to make it 9-9. However, senior Kylie Butler picked up her second foul with 12:47 to go in the half. Butler returned to the game with 10:00 to go in the half, and Tisch was given the assignment of guarding Durst most of the time to prevent Butler from picking up a third foul guarding Durst.
With 7:05 to go until halftime, Durst made a three-pointer to put the Golden Eagles ahead 15-13. But, Butler scored on a perfect touch pass to tie it at 15-15. Durst hit two three-pointers back-to-back, the second one well behind the line to give the Golden Eagles a 23-17 lead. Junior Brooke Wellnitz made two free throws to get AP to within 23-19. After a timeout with 2:40 remaining in the half, sophomore Mya Norton scored for Barneveld and Butler made a basket with 55 seconds left to make the halftime score Barneveld 25, Argyle-Pecatonica 21.
Tisch made a pair of free throws early in the second half to make the score 25-23 and Wellnitz made a field goal to pull AP to within one point at 28-27. Junior Eliza Gordon connected on a big three-pointer which put Barneveld in front 33-27, which prompted AP coach Jen Wellnitz-Krogman to call a timeout with 10:22 left in the game. Tisch knocked down a rhythm three to make it 33-30, but missed two free throws with 9:04 remaining and Norton made two free throws to get the Golden Eagles a five point lead at 35-30. With seven minutes to play, Tisch got her fourth foul and came out of the game. She returned with just over five minutes to play as Wellnitz scored on a rebound putback to get the 78ers within three points at 35-32 with 5:17 left on the clock.
Barneveld called a timeout, but Wellnitz made it a one-point game at 35-34 as she got under the basket and scored. But, Durst made a tough, off-balance shot with 5:05 left to make it 37-34. AP never got any closer as Tisch fouled out with 4:01 left in the game, Butler got her fourth foul and Barneveld pulled away. Durst made two free throws, Norton scored a basket and senior Hannah Esch got a layup to put the Golden Eagles up 43-34 with 2:44 left in the game. Barneveld made six of eight free throws in the final 1:16 to offset a layup by Butler to take a 53-36 win. Despite getting to within one or two points in the second half, AP just couldn’t get on a run and take the lead. The 36 points were a season-low for the 78ers.
Wellnitz finished the game with 16 points despite being double-and triple-teamed. Tisch scored 10 points and Butler scored eight points, 12 points below her average. Senior Avari Steiner scored two points to round out the scoring for Argyle-Pec.
Durst was the leading scorer for Barneveld with 23 points.
Barneveld coach Jim Myers acknowledged that early foul trouble for Butler and later on Tisch took away a vital piece of AP’s offense and defense.
“It kind of took them out of their rhythm. They’re a group with those five, they can play. They know each other so well as far as cuts, and moves, and everything and you take one of them out of there and it just changes things. I’m not saying they don’t have kids on the bench to get the job done, but yeah, it affects you when you get two early ones,” said Myers, who is the all-time winningest coach in Wisconsin girls basketball history now with a record of 742-153.
Argyle-Pecatonica coach Jen Wellnitz-Krogman said she was well-prepared for this game.
“I put more time into this game. I’ll bet I watched Barneveld film 80 times. Either it would be us or every conference opponent versus nonconference opponent. I’d spend almost six hours a day doing it. I have no regrets. I studied the best I could. I knew everything short of these girls’ social security numbers,” said Wellnitz-Krogman.
With Butler battling foul trouble, Tisch was called on to play a bigger role and did just that, earning the praise of Wellnitz-Krogman.
“Loretta Tisch is going to give you her effort every single time. You can’t replace a kid like Loretta Tisch because she plays with so much heart and so much energy,” said Wellnitz-Krogman.
With the loss, Argyle-Pecatonica closed their season 22-5. In the past three seasons since Argyle and Pecatonica formed their co-op and Wellnitz-Krogman became the head coach, Argyle-Pecatonica has amassed a record of 70-11. It was also the last game for seniors Kylie Butler, Loretta Tisch, Brooklyn Johnsrud, and Lexi Wonders.
