NEW GLARUS — Trailing by just nine at halftime to an undefeated and ranked New Glarus team, Black Hawk had high hopes for the game. The Knights pulled away, though, for 32 second-half points in its 56-26 nonconference victory on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

“The first half felt like a totally different half than the second,” Black Hawk head coach Cora Lierman said. “Going into halftime, I told the girls how thrilled I was with their effort. It showed in their boxing out and rebounding. It showed even in the way we slowed them down on defense in general.”

Aside from a basket right off the tip, New Glarus struggled to score in the early minutes of the first half, largely due to missed bunnies. In the first half alone, New Glarus head coach Kevin Parman tallied eight missed shots.

“It’s definitely not the start we wanted other than that quick bucket,” Parman said. “Black Hawk does a nice job of slowing it down and getting what they want.”

Jaliyah Collins tied the game at two with her own bucket. Kendra Haldiman gave the Warriors their only lead of the game, as she went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Five straight points from Lindsey Schadewalt gave the Knights a 7-3 lead, but Black Hawk powered back to tie the game at nine with a backdoor cut and basket from Hailey Wellnitz.

That’s when New Glarus started to click offensively, going on a 9-0 run. Bella Brenkman and Grace Nommensen sparked the rally, as Nommensen assisted Alex Atwell for two points. The pair then connected for the next four points, including a fastbreak basket with three passes between the two. Atwell made a free throw, and Schadewalt got an assist from Payton Schneider to take an 18-9 lead.

Black Hawk got within five in the closing minutes, with baskets from Raylin Peterson, Collins and Haldiman. In that stretch, Wellnitz took a charge from Nommensen. 

After a pair of free throws from Atwell with 9.7 seconds left in the half, the Knights stole the subsequent inbounds pass. Schadewalt drove to the basket, where she missed a shot from the block. Maddy Lange grabbed the rebound and chucked the ball to the other end of the court but left three seconds left on the clock. Jordyn Runde caught the pass, dribbled twice and put up a half-court shot that was short.

New Glarus took a nine-point lead into the locker room. The Knights, who entered the game 10-0, knew they were better than the first-half performance they had put out.

“We stood aside a bit and let the girls talk at half before we went in [the locker room],” Parman said. “They understand what we needed to do. Black Hawk may be struggling with losing one of their key players [Tara Wellnitz], but they have a tradition. They will bust their butt.”

Whatever New Glarus discussed in the locker room worked, as they came out to score the first four points of the half. Atwell and Nommensen had a basket each.

Haldiman then provided the next five points for the Warriors, including a three-point play completed at the free-throw line. The last six points of the game for Black Hawk came from Peterson, two of which came from an inbounds play.

Schadewalt sparked the decisive run for New Glarus with her first of four 3-pointers in the second half. After a bucket from Atwell, Schadewalt drained another three.

On the other end of the court, Peterson went up for a shot, which was blocked by Schneider. In the aftermath of the play, the two got aggressive and were called for a double foul. 

Unfazed, Nommensen continued the run for the Knights with a bucket, followed by another Schadewalt 3-pointer. Elle Lancaster then went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. After Schadewalt’s final three, Parman called upon his bench for the final three minutes. Lierman followed suit shortly after.

Off the bench, Hailey Thompson had a bonus opportunity at the free-throw line. She missed but made up for it by draining a three to close out the game.

Schadewalt led the Knights with 23 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc. Atwell followed with 18 points, going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Nommensen was just a bucket shy of double figures with eight points.

The duo of Peterson and Haldiman supplied Black Hawk with 20 of its 26 points, each recording 10. Collins (four points) and Wellnitz (two points) were responsible for the remaining offense.

The Warriors are on a three-game skid after their impressive win in Argyle on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Lierman sees the losses as preparation for conference play, though, and welcomed the challenge Belmont, Galena and New Glarus provided.

“They are three excellent teams that are well-coached,” Lierman said. “We were thrilled to go against them, just to give us different looks. Next week we have three conference games in a row. We’ve only had one conference game, so we do this on purpose. How can we get ready for conference play? These teams for sure are going to help with that.”