VERONA - With great expectations comes great pressure. Black Hawk has faced the best that 25 teams could throw at them, and for the 26th game in a row, the Warriors came out smoothly ahead. At Thursday's WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinal game against Central Wisconsin Christian, Black Hawk's press defense and timely outside shooting was the difference and the Warriors won 46-22.
"My emotions are really high right now, but I know I have to keep them level," senior Hannah Herbst said. "I'm trying to stay level, but I'm also really enjoying the moment that I have right here - savoring it. You don't get this all the time. Most teams in the state of Wisconsin don't get to feel this."
A season ago Black Hawk was undefeated all season long, only for then-freshman Natalie Leuzinger to go down with an injury and lose in the regional final. Now the Warriors are playing in their first sectional final game since 2011.
"Last year I didn't get to have this opportunity because I was injured, but this is just something special," Leuzinger said.
CWC (21-5) is known for its post presence. The lineup rotation consists of five players 5-feet, 11-inches or taller. Black Hawk got a momentary rude awakening on its first couple of possessions, getting blocked on three straight shots by Makayla De Young.
"We had to get past the shock-and-awe of having our shot blocked a few times," Black Hawk head coach Mike Flanagan said. "The kids don't like that, but I always tell them that it doesn't really mean a whole lot. A lot of times you get the basketball back. Hats off to them, that's a low offensive output for us. They're height certainly gave us trouble."
The Warriors knew about CWC's weakness, however, and that's a lack of ballhandling skills.
"We knew their point guards weren't as strong as we've seen," Leuzinger said. "Their bigs were tall, but we are physical and were ready to play against them."
Black Hawk's full-court press flustered CWC in the first half, and during a seven-minute stretch went on a 13-0 run, forcing six turnovers - two of which were 10-second back-court violations.
"You think about the plays that demoralize an opponent - you take a charge, you get a 5- or 10-second defensive play, those are demoralizing plays," Flanagan said. "You talk about momentum plays, and you can see how excited our kids get, because they know how high the value is and what it does to the other team."
The Warriors also were able to stretch the offense during the stretch, getting a key 3-pointer from Leuzinger, who also made a basket off a street-style spin move in the lane that sent the defender twisting to the floor.
"The momentum keeps on going and building," said Black Hawk freshman Bailey Butler. "Coach always has us work inside-out in practice, and we hit those shots in practice so we know we can hit them in the game."
Black Hawk went into halftime ahead 25-11, but with the momentum of a 30-point lead.
"We talked about some of the looks we missed. We thought that when we got the ball into the high post we had some opportunities down low," Flanagan said. "Fourteen isn't much, but when they only score 11 the deficit seemed bigger."
The Crusaders also had 15 turnovers in the first half.
The Warriors opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a commanding 34-11 lead. The advantage reached as high as 28 points at 42-14 with 8:47 to play. From there, Black Hawk ran a motion-style stall offense to eat clock time and the reserves began to see the court with just under three minutes remaining.
"We run that offense all the time in practice - just pass and cut through (the lane), and if they don't come up on us, we just take what they give us," Butler said.
One of Black Hawk's many strengths this season has been the ability to use multiple reserves in big-time moments. Flanagan's top three substitutes - junior Sydney Delzer, sophomore Maddy Huschitt and freshman Kaylee Marty - were on the floor for 3-5 minutes at a time, giving the rest of the starters ample rest to stay fresh.
"At this time of the year it helps. Last week we played three games, and this week here we have only one day off between games," Flanagan said. "We don't have a lot of time to rest, so if we can get some of our kids off the floor and onto the bench to get some rest and hydration, that's a big deal."
Leuzinger led all scorers with 15 points, and Bailey Butler (10), Hannah Butler (8), and Hannah Herbst (6) all pitched in with balanced scoring. CWC's Melissa Van Den Berg scored all 9 of her points in the first half, and De Young finished with just 5 points and the Warriors shut down the Crusader's options in the paint despite the lack of size thanks to Black Hawk's speed and aggressiveness.
"I know that I can use my speed to my advantage, and they get the ball down in the post and I'll raid and make it hard for them," said Herbst, the shortest player on the court at 5-2. "I may not have the height, but I have to use what I've got, which is quick hands."
Black Hawk has one day of practice now before Saturday's sectional final against Hustisford (18-8), which beat its rival and conference champion Oshkosh Lourdes (19-6) by two points. The game will be held at 1 p.m. in Oconomowoc, and tickets can be purchased at Black Hawk High School or at the door before the game.
"It's the playoffs, records are thrown out the window now," Herbst said.
Flanagan has coached the Warriors to three state trips in his 13 years, but has words of advice for his current group of youngsters.
"I just want to remind them how they got there. It's just another basketball game," Flanagan said. "And you have to remind them that this other team is in the same spot as you are. (Hustisford has never made it to state). When you are in that situation, you feel like you're the only one, but they bleed red, too. We just have to go out there, play hard and if we can influence the game we want to we can get one more week of basketball."
"My emotions are really high right now, but I know I have to keep them level," senior Hannah Herbst said. "I'm trying to stay level, but I'm also really enjoying the moment that I have right here - savoring it. You don't get this all the time. Most teams in the state of Wisconsin don't get to feel this."
A season ago Black Hawk was undefeated all season long, only for then-freshman Natalie Leuzinger to go down with an injury and lose in the regional final. Now the Warriors are playing in their first sectional final game since 2011.
"Last year I didn't get to have this opportunity because I was injured, but this is just something special," Leuzinger said.
CWC (21-5) is known for its post presence. The lineup rotation consists of five players 5-feet, 11-inches or taller. Black Hawk got a momentary rude awakening on its first couple of possessions, getting blocked on three straight shots by Makayla De Young.
"We had to get past the shock-and-awe of having our shot blocked a few times," Black Hawk head coach Mike Flanagan said. "The kids don't like that, but I always tell them that it doesn't really mean a whole lot. A lot of times you get the basketball back. Hats off to them, that's a low offensive output for us. They're height certainly gave us trouble."
The Warriors knew about CWC's weakness, however, and that's a lack of ballhandling skills.
"We knew their point guards weren't as strong as we've seen," Leuzinger said. "Their bigs were tall, but we are physical and were ready to play against them."
Black Hawk's full-court press flustered CWC in the first half, and during a seven-minute stretch went on a 13-0 run, forcing six turnovers - two of which were 10-second back-court violations.
"You think about the plays that demoralize an opponent - you take a charge, you get a 5- or 10-second defensive play, those are demoralizing plays," Flanagan said. "You talk about momentum plays, and you can see how excited our kids get, because they know how high the value is and what it does to the other team."
The Warriors also were able to stretch the offense during the stretch, getting a key 3-pointer from Leuzinger, who also made a basket off a street-style spin move in the lane that sent the defender twisting to the floor.
"The momentum keeps on going and building," said Black Hawk freshman Bailey Butler. "Coach always has us work inside-out in practice, and we hit those shots in practice so we know we can hit them in the game."
Black Hawk went into halftime ahead 25-11, but with the momentum of a 30-point lead.
"We talked about some of the looks we missed. We thought that when we got the ball into the high post we had some opportunities down low," Flanagan said. "Fourteen isn't much, but when they only score 11 the deficit seemed bigger."
The Crusaders also had 15 turnovers in the first half.
The Warriors opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a commanding 34-11 lead. The advantage reached as high as 28 points at 42-14 with 8:47 to play. From there, Black Hawk ran a motion-style stall offense to eat clock time and the reserves began to see the court with just under three minutes remaining.
"We run that offense all the time in practice - just pass and cut through (the lane), and if they don't come up on us, we just take what they give us," Butler said.
One of Black Hawk's many strengths this season has been the ability to use multiple reserves in big-time moments. Flanagan's top three substitutes - junior Sydney Delzer, sophomore Maddy Huschitt and freshman Kaylee Marty - were on the floor for 3-5 minutes at a time, giving the rest of the starters ample rest to stay fresh.
"At this time of the year it helps. Last week we played three games, and this week here we have only one day off between games," Flanagan said. "We don't have a lot of time to rest, so if we can get some of our kids off the floor and onto the bench to get some rest and hydration, that's a big deal."
Leuzinger led all scorers with 15 points, and Bailey Butler (10), Hannah Butler (8), and Hannah Herbst (6) all pitched in with balanced scoring. CWC's Melissa Van Den Berg scored all 9 of her points in the first half, and De Young finished with just 5 points and the Warriors shut down the Crusader's options in the paint despite the lack of size thanks to Black Hawk's speed and aggressiveness.
"I know that I can use my speed to my advantage, and they get the ball down in the post and I'll raid and make it hard for them," said Herbst, the shortest player on the court at 5-2. "I may not have the height, but I have to use what I've got, which is quick hands."
Black Hawk has one day of practice now before Saturday's sectional final against Hustisford (18-8), which beat its rival and conference champion Oshkosh Lourdes (19-6) by two points. The game will be held at 1 p.m. in Oconomowoc, and tickets can be purchased at Black Hawk High School or at the door before the game.
"It's the playoffs, records are thrown out the window now," Herbst said.
Flanagan has coached the Warriors to three state trips in his 13 years, but has words of advice for his current group of youngsters.
"I just want to remind them how they got there. It's just another basketball game," Flanagan said. "And you have to remind them that this other team is in the same spot as you are. (Hustisford has never made it to state). When you are in that situation, you feel like you're the only one, but they bleed red, too. We just have to go out there, play hard and if we can influence the game we want to we can get one more week of basketball."
