SOUTH WAYNE - Looking to knock off one of the elite programs in Division 4 girls basketball, the Black Hawk Warriors needed to lean on one another.
Junior sharpshooter Paige Butler needed point guard Gabi Lehner to get her the ball. Lehner needed Butler to convert on her assists. And Mike Flanagan needed both the Warriors to get his club over the hump and secure a hard-fought 49-38 Six Rivers East Conference victory at home Tuesday over last season's state-qualifying Barneveld.
Butler scored a game-high 27 points for Black Hawk (8-2 overall, 4-1 Six Rivers East) as she was the recipient of Lehner's smart decisions and attacked the rim to the tune of 20 free-throw attempts. Butler converted 13 of those freebies but was quick to pay credit to her savvy distributor.
"I'm really glad to have (Lehner) as our point guard," Butler said. "Because we'd be lost without her."
Barneveld (7-4 overall, 3-2 Six Rivers East) led 28-22 after a couple of 50-50 calls went the Eagles' way early in the second half.
One particular non-call that drew the ire of Flanagan and the Warrior fanbase was when Eagles senior Laura Miller got her hands on a Katie Place rebound and nearly took Place back up to the rim with her. Only Place was whistled for the foul and Miller sank both free throws to make it 28-22.
Butler and Lehner decided they had seen enough. The duo went on a Thelma & Louise-style rampage and closed the third quarter retaking the lead with a 10-2 run and making the score 34-30.
Lehner got things started with her lone 3-pointer from the top of the key that rattled home. Butler scored the final seven points in the run, going 5-for-6 from the line and drilling a jumper from the left elbow.
The Warriors' starting point guard finished the game with 10 points, but was not knocking down the open triples. Lehner still understands her role as facilitator of the offense and getting the ball to Butler or sophomore Kim Wellnitz - who finished with eight points despite coping with foul trouble.
"Paige is a crazy shooter," Lehner said. "I know I have to get her and Kim (Wellnitz) the ball."
Flanagan was vocal from the sideline, making sure Butler continued to cut through the paint and stay aggressive with getting her offensive touches. A less mentallly-tough player could wilt under the pressures that come with emerging as a premier Division 4 talent.
"I don't specifically try to pick kids that I'm going to get on, but I'm really tough on Gabi Lehner and Paige Butler," Flanagan said. "It's a combination of a couple of things: A) ... I think they've got so much potential and you're trying to bring that out and B) ... they just need a reminder not to just fade away."
"In a game like that, your playmakers have to make plays."
Black Hawk's head coach also had to work the referees during the early stages of the third quarter to make sure the Warriors got the recognition they rightfully deserved after several down seasons before Flanagan's arrival.
"It's just natural that a program like Barneveld has been so good for so long and they just do things right," Flanagan said. "You just feel like sometimes you're battling to get the respect you feel like your kids deserve. It was one of those games where I felt like I had to battle for my kids."
"We wanted to go out and get it and luckily enough we were able to make enough plays."
Junior sharpshooter Paige Butler needed point guard Gabi Lehner to get her the ball. Lehner needed Butler to convert on her assists. And Mike Flanagan needed both the Warriors to get his club over the hump and secure a hard-fought 49-38 Six Rivers East Conference victory at home Tuesday over last season's state-qualifying Barneveld.
Butler scored a game-high 27 points for Black Hawk (8-2 overall, 4-1 Six Rivers East) as she was the recipient of Lehner's smart decisions and attacked the rim to the tune of 20 free-throw attempts. Butler converted 13 of those freebies but was quick to pay credit to her savvy distributor.
"I'm really glad to have (Lehner) as our point guard," Butler said. "Because we'd be lost without her."
Barneveld (7-4 overall, 3-2 Six Rivers East) led 28-22 after a couple of 50-50 calls went the Eagles' way early in the second half.
One particular non-call that drew the ire of Flanagan and the Warrior fanbase was when Eagles senior Laura Miller got her hands on a Katie Place rebound and nearly took Place back up to the rim with her. Only Place was whistled for the foul and Miller sank both free throws to make it 28-22.
Butler and Lehner decided they had seen enough. The duo went on a Thelma & Louise-style rampage and closed the third quarter retaking the lead with a 10-2 run and making the score 34-30.
Lehner got things started with her lone 3-pointer from the top of the key that rattled home. Butler scored the final seven points in the run, going 5-for-6 from the line and drilling a jumper from the left elbow.
The Warriors' starting point guard finished the game with 10 points, but was not knocking down the open triples. Lehner still understands her role as facilitator of the offense and getting the ball to Butler or sophomore Kim Wellnitz - who finished with eight points despite coping with foul trouble.
"Paige is a crazy shooter," Lehner said. "I know I have to get her and Kim (Wellnitz) the ball."
Flanagan was vocal from the sideline, making sure Butler continued to cut through the paint and stay aggressive with getting her offensive touches. A less mentallly-tough player could wilt under the pressures that come with emerging as a premier Division 4 talent.
"I don't specifically try to pick kids that I'm going to get on, but I'm really tough on Gabi Lehner and Paige Butler," Flanagan said. "It's a combination of a couple of things: A) ... I think they've got so much potential and you're trying to bring that out and B) ... they just need a reminder not to just fade away."
"In a game like that, your playmakers have to make plays."
Black Hawk's head coach also had to work the referees during the early stages of the third quarter to make sure the Warriors got the recognition they rightfully deserved after several down seasons before Flanagan's arrival.
"It's just natural that a program like Barneveld has been so good for so long and they just do things right," Flanagan said. "You just feel like sometimes you're battling to get the respect you feel like your kids deserve. It was one of those games where I felt like I had to battle for my kids."
"We wanted to go out and get it and luckily enough we were able to make enough plays."
