WISCONSIN DELLS — The Cuba City girls basketball team is Resch-bound once more. A tight win over No. 2-seeded Aquinas in the WIAA Division 4 Sectional final, 47-43, ensured the Cubans’ advance towards title status with the program’s 1,000th win in the balance as well.
“This game was a battle,” Cuba City head coach Jason Derby said. “Both teams missed shots that they often hit. There were only three 3-pointers made on the day between both teams.”
The Cubans earned the right to play in Saturday’s sectional final with a dominating performance over 3-seed Belleville on March 6, 77-46. Cuba City opened on a 22-11 run, before extending its lead to nearly 20 points by the break, 40-22.
Maddi DeSmet led Belleville with 16 points, while Toria Devoe added 13 and Addison Edge eight.
Ella Vosberg led a group of four Cubans in double figures with a 23-point showing. Emily Wiegman (13 pts), Olivia Olson (11 pts), and Dea Crist (11 pts) all joined Vosberg at over 10 points in the matchup with the Wildcats (21-6). Vosberg also had the only double-double in the game with 10 rebounds to lead all athletes.
While the matchup with the Blugolds moved Olson to 1,614 career points, the showdown with Belleville sealed the deal for the senior looking to earn the all-time scoring title for the Cuban girls as she moved past Jessi Marti’s (’16) 1,596 points. She accomplished the feat in what has been essentially 3.25 years of time on the court due to an ACL tear during the spring of 2024.
“We’re so happy for Olivia,” Derby said. “When you tear an ACL in the offseason, the natural — and usually correct — reaction is that the next season is out of question. The way the timing worked, and the way Olivia worked gave her a chance to return, but it was never a guarantee. For her to break the scoring record with the ACL injury while distributing the ball the way she does makes it all the more impressive. So much hard work has gone into that accomplishment.”
The WIAA Division 4 State Championships at the Resch Center in Green Bay is the next stop for Cuba City as it looks to improve upon last year’s runner up result. The WIAA’s reseeding leaves the Cubans with the 4-seed as they face off in the 6:35 p.m. March 13 matchup with top-seeded Prairie School.
The Hawks (26-2) are also the top-ranked team in the state, ahead of second-ranked Cuba City. The other side of the D4 bracket is 2-seed St. Mary’s Catholic (25-3) against 3-seed Durand-Arkansaw (23-5).
