MINERAL POINT — The third time remained the charm as top-seeded Mineral Point ousted the fourth-seeded Darlington Redbirds from the WIAA Division 4 girls’ basketball tournament with a 52-42 regional semifinal victory at MPHS Feb. 12.
The Pointers (14-5 overall) improved to 3-0 this season against the Redbirds (11-11), and then advanced to win the regional title with a 60-41 win over No. 2 seed Potosi/Cassville the next night.
Senior Macy Aschlimann and junior Mallory Lindsey bookended a 15-0 scoring run by sinking 3-pointers and in between junior Blair Watters poured in nine consecutive points to help the Pointers erase an early 2-0 Darlington lead.
Aschlimann (one) and junior Ella Chambers (two) added treys in the first half to lift Mineral Point out to a 28-22 halftime lead, and then the Pointers opened the second half on a 5-0 run to build up an 11-point advantage.
“We started out slow with a lot of unforced turnovers. We didn’t do a good job of handling their pressure early in the game. I thought as the game went on we found a way to make some plays. I give our kids a lot of credit for not throwing in the towel,” said Darlington head coach Brad Solberg. “Our bench did an outstanding job defensively, especially down the stretch. They tried to go big on us a few times and, luckily for us, we can go bigger. They played some really important minutes for us.”
Senior Laura Sturtz buried a pair of 3-pointers from the corner to cut Darlington deficit down to 36-33 with 10:26, and sophomore Cayla Golackson brought the ‘Birds back within three again with a basket with 9:12 remaining.
However, Watters came up with a couple of more clutch baskets to keep the Pointers in front and they rolled on for a 10-point victory.
Watters finished with a game-high 17 points, Aschlimann had 15 and Chambers 10 for the Pointers.
Golackson tallied a team-high 14 points for the Redbirds. Evenstad netted a career-high 10 points and Sturtz added six as each player had two 3s.
“I am very proud of the kids from start to finish. They overcame challenges all season long. I was just so impressed with the resiliency of these kids this year,” Solberg said.
Playing in their final prep basketball game at Darlington were seniors Cori Golackson and Laura Sturtz.
“Cori and Laura have been all I could have asked for and more in my first year. Their efforts this year have laid the foundation for many years ahead. They will both be very successful moving forward,” said Solberg.
At Darlington on Feb. 9, the Redbirds opened the WIAA Tournament by downing another SWAL rival Southwestern, 51-40, in a regional quarterfinal affair.
Darlington led the entire way following a 3-pointer by Laura Sturtz to open the scoring on the night. Junior Taylor Wedig added 11 points in the first half to put the ‘Birds ahead 24-16 at the intermission.
Solberg’s squad pushed the lead to as many as 10 twice in the first half, however the Wildcats clawed their way back within two following a pair of free throws by Alisa Ramaker with 2:31 to play.
The Redbirds turned up the defense from there, forcing three straight turnovers to spark a 9-0 run to end the game. Jaidyn Evenstad had two steals which led to two baskets, while Wedig went 5-for-5 from the line over the final 2:12 to seal the third win over the Wildcats this season and the Birds’ 11th win in a row overall over the ‘Cats.
Wedig finished 10-for-16 at the line on the night on the way to a game-high 26 points and she also added nine rebounds and four assists.
Cayla Golackson chipped in with six points, nine boards and a blocked shot, while junior Mila Gille added five points, six rebounds and a block. Sturtz also netted five points, and Evenstad finished with three steals.
Hannah Lacey and Hannah Brant scored eight points apiece to lead Southwestern.
