ARGYLE — When the buzzer sounded at the conclusion of the first Six Rivers East Conference game between Albany-Monticello and Argyle-Pecatonica on Jan. 9, the Space Stallions stormed the bench. Head coach Derik Doescher jumped up and down, shouting and waving his arms toward the ecstatic student section. Fans may have felt a sense of deja vu, thinking back to the WIAA Division 5 state tournament celebration. But this jubilation was for a 51-46 victory that evened the all-time series at 2-2. 

“With teams raising their level (of play) and four small towns coming together, the outcome is tonight where you’ve got a packed gym, people standing everywhere and a great basketball game,” Albany-Monticello head coach Derik Doescher said. “I would have said the same — I probably would have been a little more ornery — had Argyle-Pec won, but it’s a great atmosphere, it’s a great game. The kids played their hearts out on both teams.”

The last time AM and AP met was at the WIAA Division 5 state semifinal on March 8, 2024, where the Space Stallions defeated the Orioles 37-31. Entering the game, AP was looking to defend its undefeated conference season and beat AM for the third time.

With off-season accolades naming Kylie Butler and Abby Hollis as co-Conference Players of the Year and divisional changes bumping AP up to Division 4 while AM’s appeal to remain in Division 5 was approved, the instant rivalry intensified in the 2024-25 season.

“We were mad after last year,” Argyle-Pecatonica head coach Jen Krogman said. “We came in really confident. I came in really confident. I really did.” 

In the early minutes, it was an anticipatory slugfest with the teams exchanging buckets. AP’s strategy was attacking the basket to get to the charity stripe, while AM won the battle on the boards. It was Hollis’ offensive putback and subsequent free throw that gave the Space Stallions a 5-3 lead — one that the team never gave up.

Albany-Monticello extended that lead to 19-12 by letting Argyle-Pecatonica post players shoot — and miss — from the outside and preventing the Orioles from scoring in transition. But it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Wellnitz attempted full-court football throws to teammates, but it led to two turnovers.

“We knew we couldn’t be afraid to push the ball because that’s a big part of our game — fast break points,” Krogman said. “It killed us at state last year, too.”

Karlee Wilkins’ offensive putback pushed AM’s advantage to double digits, while Heidi Olson capped an 8-point, 8-minute run by beating Avari Steiner with a left-handed drive to the basket.

“My focus was on defense and rebounding,” Wilkins said. “He (Doescher) didn’t really care how I did on offense. He just told me to put a butt into them, and I didn’t actually need to go get the rebounds. I only get the rebounds as they come into my hands. I just needed to get their post players out of the post so the other girls could get their rebounds.”

With Butler and Wellnitz scouted and locked down by defenders Molly Olson and Dalana Trumpy, Steiner took on the brunt of the scoring responsibilities. She put an end to her team’s scoring drought and tallied nine of 14 first-half points for the Orioles.

While the Space Stallions entered the locker room ecstatic with a 25-14 lead, the Orioles went back to the drawing board. 

They switched up their offense and applied a 1-3-1 zone on defense. The change jump-started AP, who opened with an 8-point run. Aleah Harris scored her first points of the contest, Kylie Butler got to the line, Wellnitz had an offensive putback and Steiner drained a three.  

“I put in a new offense at halftime,” Krogman said. “They are really smart kids and catch on really fast. Then we pulled the press and went to a 1-3-1. “We’ve been saving it for this game just in case we needed it. It looked really good.”

Twice, Harris made it a one-point game. Not wanting AP’s post players to get inside too easily, AM gave up the outside shot to pack the lane. It left Harris wide open on the perimeter to sink a three, making it a 30-29 game. Just two possessions later, Harris saw the impact of the bucket. She shot-faked Trumpy, who had to respect the outside game, and drove to the basket for a 2-for-2 trip to the line.

“With a team like Argyle-Pec, you have to pick and choose,” Doescher said. “If you guard 5-on-5, man-to-man, they are too good. They’re nightmares to deal with man-to-man, so you have to find something that’s a little twist for a few possessions. That’s what that’s about, because we respect the heck out of all the kids they put out there.”

But AM responded with its own outside game, as Heidi Olson sank a pair of threes and Hollis let it rain. Although AP reached bonus with six and a half minutes left, the Space Stallions surged to a double-digit lead with unselfish play. Molly Olson found Trumpy on a back-door cut for two, and on her next trip down the floor, Molly drew three defenders in the lane, leaving Trumpy open for another bucket. It was Molly’s three that put AM ahead 48-38 with 4:22 remaining. 

“I just try to find the open person,” she said. “When I see three people come on me, I know somebody’s open, so I’m just looking to dish. I’m happy if someone else scores, and I’m happy if I score. It’s just a win-win.”

With time ticking away, AP extended its ball pressure, racking up fouls to put AM to bonus. The tactic nearly paid off, as the Space Stallions were 3-for-9 in the final minute and a half. It was Heidi Olson’s pair of double bonus free throws that iced the 51-46 victory. She finished with 15 points to lead AM.

Steiner was AP’s leading scorer with 15 points, too. Butler and Wellnitz scored 12 and 7 points respectively, well below their season averages of 24.9 and 19.3 ppg.

With the win, AM remains undefeated and takes the top spot in the Six Rivers East. With the loss, AP’s undefeated season came to an end. If the Orioles have any hope of winning or sharing a conference title, they need to win the rematch against the Space Stallions on Feb. 6.

“We know that if we lose that next one, conference is out of the question,” Krogman said. “In my opinion, we are the best team in this conference, and we didn’t play that way tonight. But hands down, I’m gonna take us over the world.”