By Natalie Dillon
ndillon@
themonroetimes.com
WISCONSIN DELLS — The Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) hosted the 42nd annual All-Star Games at Just A Game Fieldhouse in the Wisconsin Dells where five local girls basketball players concluded their prep basketball careers.
Alana Durtschi (Albany) and Anna Tisch (Pecatonica) played for the Division 5 South team, which defeated the North 78-52. Addison Yates (Brodhead), Aubrey McCarthy (Darlington) and Lindsey Schadewalt (New Glarus) played for the Division 4 South team — coached by Kevin Parman (New Glarus), Brad Solberg (Darlington) and Courtney Feller (Lancaster, 2014 New Glarus graduate) — which lost to the North 80-68.
“WBCA does a great job. They really try to make this a special event for the kids,” Solberg said. “It’s a great way to honor them as they end their careers.”
Throughout the week, players participated in activities, attended practice and got to explore the Wisconsin Dells. Despite coming in as opponents — as many played against each other during the season — the All-Stars left with greater bonds.
“It’s a little bitter sweet, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Durtschi said. “I got to meet some great girls the last couple of days, and playing with some of the girls from the Six Rivers is always fun.”
In addition to playing one final game, athletes raised money for five charities — Camp Hometown Heroes, Camp Wawbeek/Easter Seals of Wisconsin, Garding Against Cancer, MACC Fund and the Ronald McDonald House of Charities of Eastern Wisconsin. Durtschi was the eighth-top fundraiser with $2,085, and Schadewalt was the third-top fundraiser with $4,200. Collectively, Division 5 and Division 4 South were the top fundraising teams.
“I went around to businesses and all of them were super supportive and wanted to contribute,” Schadewalt said. “I was super thankful for that. It shows how close the community is.”
DIVISION 5
SOUTH 78, NORTH 52
Coryn Fromm (Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah) scored the South’s first eight points in two minutes, six of which came from beyond the arc. Alana Durtsch (Albany) was the second South player to score, receiving a pass from a pick-and-roll. Mallory Novy (Reedsville) and Nora Eggert (Clear Lake) exchanged a pair of free throws — keeping the South’s lead at six points — before Anna Tisch (Pecatonica) got involved in the game.
She scored back-to-back points for the South, including a bank shot from the left elbow. She then drove to the lane and kicked out to Charley Mullen (Lourdes Academy), who knocked down a 3-pointer for an 18-8 lead with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Those were the last points the South scored in the frame, as the North went on a 6-0 run.
The South came out in the second quarter hot just as it did in the first, with a 3-point play from Marah Gruen. But the North began to win the battle under the basket, earning trips to the free-throw line.
Paige Richards (Prairie Farm) grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul on Durtschi putting a second shot attempt up. She went 1-for-2 at the line. Two minutes later, Sophie Coker (Athens) did the same grabbing her own rebound.
The South then turned the ball over under its own basket, which led to a foul on Bronwyn Halverson (Highland) and a trip to the charity stripe for Isabella Millan (Florence). With her made free throw, the North drew within four points, 26-22.
The narrow lead quickly ballooned back to double digits with a bucket from Fromm and a 3-pointer from Emmalee Mann (Cochrane Fountain City).
Tisch got hot at the end of the quarter once again, going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line and assisting Gruen for a 39-27 lead going into halftime.
Despite a shot clock violation to begin the third quarter, the South quickly pulled away, as Fromm scored seven points in just over a minute. She received an inbounds pass and drove to the basket, drawing a foul on Madolyn Haffner (Gresham). Fromm made both free throws and another basket on the following possession. The North turned the ball over with a travel violation, which led to another scoring opportunity under the basket for Fromm. She made the and-one for a 48-33 advantage.
The South’s lead didn’t reach 20 points until the fourth quarter, as Durtschi opened with a jumper, making it 59-38. Eight fouls were committed between both teams in the final frame, leading to seven trips to the charity stripe. The South went 3-for-5, including a 3-point play from Fromm. The North shot even better, going 6-for-8, but its deficit was too great.
The South ended the game on a putback from Halverson that just beat out the final buzzer.
Fromm, the Big East North Player of the Year and honorable mention all-state player, finished with a team-high 29 points. Mann, a first-team all-state player, and Tisch were the next-highest scorers with seven points each. Durtschi tallied six points.
DIVISION 4
NORTH 80, SOUTH 68
Unlike its Division 5 counterparts, the Division 4 South team got off to a slow start. The North built up a 13-point lead in just over four minutes, prompting a South timeout. Aubrey McCarthy (Darlington) drew a foul and made a free throw to put her team on the board midway through the first quarter.
Erin Knowles (Boscobel) chipped in with a basket, but the scores did little to stop the North. Its lead ballooned to 20 points with 41 seconds left in the first frame, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Emily Cooper (McDonnell Central). The first quarter ended on a bucket from Paris Opelt (Neillsville), giving the North a commanding 31-9 edge.
McCarthy sparked the second frame on the defensive end, taking a charge from Aubrey Dorn (McDonnell Central). From that point on, the South was aggressive to the basket, drawing fouls on the North to cut into its lead.
Knowles and Yates went to the line, both going 1-for-2. Carly Drew grabbed a loose ball under the South basket, dishing it to Lindsey Schadewalt (New Glarus) for two points. Drew followed the hustle play up with a bucket beyond the arc. Schadewalt made a free throw and basket, cutting the North’s lead to just 32-22.
But fouls got to be a problem for the South, too, as the team committed six in the final three and a half minutes. Abby Cole’s (Winnebago Lutheran) first infraction sent Ashley Chilson (Eau Claire Regis) to the line for bonus, where she made both shots.
Schadewalt ended the first half with four straight points, making it a 47-35 game. Unfortunately, that momentum didn’t carry into the second period.
Once again, the North came out hot, scoring nine unanswered points, forcing head coach Kevin Parman (New Glarus) to call a timeout with his team trailing by 21 points. Schadewalt chipped away with back-to-back baskets, and Drew hit a step-back three. But the North had an immediate answer with a 3-pointer of its own.
In the last four minutes of the third quarter, the North went on an 11-3 run for a 70-47 lead — its largest of the game.
The South nearly trimmed the advantage to single digits with an explosive start to the fourth period. Lindsey Nell (Winnebago Lutheran) scored on a putback and, on the next possession, went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Braycee Nelson (Fennimore) also converted at the charity stripe, followed by a bucket from Saveea Freeland (Cambridge). With a shot-clock beating jumper, Cole made it a 75-64 game.
That’s the closest the South got, though, as the two teams exchanged points for the remaining four minutes.
Schadewalt — a three-time Capitol South Conference Player of the Year and three-time first-team all-state member — and Knowles — an honorable mention all-state player — led the team with 13 points each. Drew, the South Central Conference Player of the Year and first-team all-state member, also scored in double figures with 12 points. McCarthy and Yates recorded one free throw each.
TOP FUNDRAISERS
Name School Division Amount
Sydney Whitehouse Notre Dame 2 $7,802
Olivia Fietz Fall River 5 $5,000
Lindsey Schadewalt New Glarus 4 $4,200
Paris Opelt Neillsville 4 $3,045
Hailey Zernicke Bonduel 4 $2,515
Ava Brandenburg Evansville 3 $2,212
Sam Schmitt Oregon 1 $2,095
Alana Durtschi Albany 5 $2,085
Alyssa Wirth Altoona 3 $1,950
Molly Janke Ellsworth 3 $1,950
