JUDA — Until the final three minutes of the game, Juda either led or stayed within one possession of North Crawford. The Trojans ended the game on a 7-point run to defeat the Panthers 43-35 in a rotating holiday tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

“The score — because we were fouling at the end — gets away from you,” Juda head coach Justy Roth said. “It was a good fight for both teams. Unfortunately we didn’t do the little things to get us in the win column.”

The tournament — which includes Juda, River Ridge, North Crawford and Iowa-Grant — rotates each year between the four schools. Senior Briliey Swedlund was happy to play in the tournament for a final time on her home court.

“I came in knowing my spots on the floor,” Swedlund said. “It’s that home court feeling — being able to shoot on hoops I practice on every day.”

Home-court advantage played a large factor for Swedlund’s game, as she single-handedly got her team back in the game.

Juda faced an early 6-1 deficit with points from North Crawford’s Sarah Branksy and Elizabeth Stovey. Out of a Panther timeout, Swedlund stole the ball and took it down the floor for two. Following another bucket, Swedlund stole the subsequent inbounds pass and scored to tie the game at 8. She then gave Juda an 11-8 lead with a 3-pointer.

“There’s definitely the energy that once you make a shot, you’re in it,” Swedlund said. “If you stop, you’re done with it.”

The Trojans took a 15-14 advantage on a three from Alle Chamberlain, but Anna Bartels quickly turned the score around. The freshman sank a 3-pointer, all while sustaining contact from Alle Chamberlain. Bartels made the and-one to give Juda an 18-15 edge.

“I was super excited after making the three but nervous going to the line,” Bartels said. “I didn’t want to let my team down. It was a crucial moment.”

Despite the shift in momentum, North Crawford took a 22-20 lead into the locker room. The Trojans closed the half on a 5-point run, ending in a putback from Kylie Hutchison.

The Panthers began the second frame in a full-court press, trapping in the corners. The tactic, which was freshly installed into Juda’s defense, paid off. After a steal, Phoenix Homan fed Katie Brooks for a bucket, tying the game at 22. North Crawford then turned the ball over, resulting in two points for Lavinia Rufer. 

“It was a new thing we installed, so I was impressed,” Roth said. “It got us some open looks that we needed to get to catapult us in the second half.”

On the next possession, Branksy tied the game. Anna Chamberlain’s free throw gave North Crawford the lead — one that the Trojans extended to five points as Juda forced passes into the post.

“We had a look up top switching from Ohio to Arizona,” Swedlund said. “It left the inside open, but the biggest struggle was getting it into the post without their hands getting in the way. That’s our biggest struggle in any game.”

The Panthers stayed within a possession as the second half wore on thanks to key 3-pointers from Homan and Bartels. In an effort to put North Crawford at the line and regain possession of the ball, Juda fouled.

Swedlund’s second foul sent Livhe Chamberlain to the line for bonus, where she made one shot for a 41-35 advantage. Stovey grabbed the rebound of the second attempt and drew a foul on Rianna Sullivan on the way to the hoop.

Stovey missed both shots, giving Juda a prime opportunity to score. Swedlund took the defensive rebound down the court but missed the wide-open layup with a minute left. She immediately fouled Branksy, who also missed both bonus shots. Anna Chamberlain also went to the line for two with 25.4 seconds left, but she, too, came up empty.

Although North Crawford was unable to put the game away at the charity stripe, Juda did not help itself on the offensive end either, resulting in the 43-35 loss.

“We got what we wanted, but we didn’t rebound the ball,” Roth said. “They couldn’t capitalize, and we couldn’t either.”

Swedlund led all scorers with 12 points, but Livhe Chamerlain and Stovey scored 11 points each to lead the Trojans to victory.

In its second game of the day, Juda fell to Iowa-Grant 59-34. Brooks and Swedlund finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

In other local girls basketball action, New Glarus defeated Dodgeville 75-50 on Dec. 27 at the Wiegel Strong Dodgeville Classic. The Knights played Baraboo in the same tournament on Dec. 28, winning 75-47. For results of those games, see the Wednesday, Jan. 3 edition of the Times.