DARLINGTON - For the past two seasons, Pecatonica's girls basketball team had beaten Black Hawk during the regular season and lost to the Warriors in the regional final. This season, Black Hawk won both regular-season matchups, but the Vikings couldn't pull out a win in Saturday's Division 4 regional final, falling 57-42.
"We knew that (Pecatonica) was playing well," Warriors coach Mike Flanagan said. "We knew that they were going to come in here and try to do some things differently."
The teams were even through the first quarter, with Pec answering a 4-0 Black Hawk start with a five-point run. The score was 10-10 heading into the second quarter.
Then the Warriors' bench kicked in. Katie Place scored four of her eight points in the second quarter and backup guard Savannah Ernzen hit a jumper with 20 seconds left in the half to give Black Hawk a 24-18 lead.
"That's why bench players are so important. They know that we will have to call on them, and they always have to be ready to go," Flanagan said.
Pecatonica senior Brittany Kent was fouled with six seconds left and hit two free throws to trim the deficit to 24-20 at halftime.
In the second half, the game remained tight and intense. Both teams found themselves in foul trouble. Alisha Esselstein (five points) and Kimee Chandler (11 points) each went into the second half with three fouls for the Vikings, and Black Hawk's Gabi Lehner picked up her third foul early in the third.
Pec kept up the pressure at both ends and trimmed the lead to 28-26 with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left when Megan Rindy put in a hoop from the paint.
"We did a nice job of maintaining tempo in the first half," Pecatonica head coach Mike Armitage said. "We can run up and down the floor with some teams, and this team, if we run on our pace. If we run when they want to run, we could be in trouble."
From there, the Warriors went on a mini run, with Place putting in back-to-back shots under the hoop and Ernzen connecting on a second jumper to give Black Hawk a 34-26 lead.
"Sometimes we've come out of halftime sharp, and other times we've come out not so sharp. I told the girls that we needed to seize the opportunity and come out hot in the first few minutes of the second half," Flanagan said.
Kent then knocked down the first of three 3-pointers, but the Vikings went into the fourth quarter down 35-29.
"We were playing well as a team and we knew we just had to push it. The shots were falling for me, so I just kept shooting," said Kent, who finished her final contest with a game-high 15 points.
Black Hawk went on a 6-2 run in the first 2:22 of the fourth to take a 41-31 lead. Kent drilled her second three of the game, but the Warriors countered, hitting four straight free throws.
Black Hawk made 17 of 25 free throws, including 12 of 15 in the fourth quarter.
"I'm proud of myself. That's what it comes down to in ball games - free throws. We focus on them all the time, and that's what wins games," Warriors junior Kim Wellnitz said. She finished with 14 points, and eight in the fourth quarter, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
Black Hawk's 22-13 fourth-quarter run ended the Vikings' season and Kent's career.
"We gave them our best shot, and they just capitalized on everything," Kent said. "I'll remember playing with all my teams the most. It's been a blast."
Gabi Lehner finished with 12 points, despite getting her fourth foul with more than six minutes left. Paige Butler scored eight for the Warriors and added seven rebounds.
The win gave the Warriors another chance to move on in sectional play.
"The first year we won the regional, we looked at it is as an accomplishment. But I think now you have to approach this as another step on the road. We want to win and we want our season to continue," Flanagan said.
The Warriors play Burlington Catholic Central at 7 p.m. Friday in Evansville in a sectional semifinal.
"We knew that (Pecatonica) was playing well," Warriors coach Mike Flanagan said. "We knew that they were going to come in here and try to do some things differently."
The teams were even through the first quarter, with Pec answering a 4-0 Black Hawk start with a five-point run. The score was 10-10 heading into the second quarter.
Then the Warriors' bench kicked in. Katie Place scored four of her eight points in the second quarter and backup guard Savannah Ernzen hit a jumper with 20 seconds left in the half to give Black Hawk a 24-18 lead.
"That's why bench players are so important. They know that we will have to call on them, and they always have to be ready to go," Flanagan said.
Pecatonica senior Brittany Kent was fouled with six seconds left and hit two free throws to trim the deficit to 24-20 at halftime.
In the second half, the game remained tight and intense. Both teams found themselves in foul trouble. Alisha Esselstein (five points) and Kimee Chandler (11 points) each went into the second half with three fouls for the Vikings, and Black Hawk's Gabi Lehner picked up her third foul early in the third.
Pec kept up the pressure at both ends and trimmed the lead to 28-26 with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left when Megan Rindy put in a hoop from the paint.
"We did a nice job of maintaining tempo in the first half," Pecatonica head coach Mike Armitage said. "We can run up and down the floor with some teams, and this team, if we run on our pace. If we run when they want to run, we could be in trouble."
From there, the Warriors went on a mini run, with Place putting in back-to-back shots under the hoop and Ernzen connecting on a second jumper to give Black Hawk a 34-26 lead.
"Sometimes we've come out of halftime sharp, and other times we've come out not so sharp. I told the girls that we needed to seize the opportunity and come out hot in the first few minutes of the second half," Flanagan said.
Kent then knocked down the first of three 3-pointers, but the Vikings went into the fourth quarter down 35-29.
"We were playing well as a team and we knew we just had to push it. The shots were falling for me, so I just kept shooting," said Kent, who finished her final contest with a game-high 15 points.
Black Hawk went on a 6-2 run in the first 2:22 of the fourth to take a 41-31 lead. Kent drilled her second three of the game, but the Warriors countered, hitting four straight free throws.
Black Hawk made 17 of 25 free throws, including 12 of 15 in the fourth quarter.
"I'm proud of myself. That's what it comes down to in ball games - free throws. We focus on them all the time, and that's what wins games," Warriors junior Kim Wellnitz said. She finished with 14 points, and eight in the fourth quarter, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
Black Hawk's 22-13 fourth-quarter run ended the Vikings' season and Kent's career.
"We gave them our best shot, and they just capitalized on everything," Kent said. "I'll remember playing with all my teams the most. It's been a blast."
Gabi Lehner finished with 12 points, despite getting her fourth foul with more than six minutes left. Paige Butler scored eight for the Warriors and added seven rebounds.
The win gave the Warriors another chance to move on in sectional play.
"The first year we won the regional, we looked at it is as an accomplishment. But I think now you have to approach this as another step on the road. We want to win and we want our season to continue," Flanagan said.
The Warriors play Burlington Catholic Central at 7 p.m. Friday in Evansville in a sectional semifinal.
