SOUTH WAYNE - With 56 seconds to go, Black Hawk senior Jen Wellnitz and the Warriors trailed by just two points against Barneveld, the state's No. 1 ranked Division 5 team.
Barneveld (18-0, 10-0 Six Rivers East) got late free throws from seniors Mackenzie Sporle and Hailey Kleppe to escape with a 33-28 win and survive Black Hawk's upset bid.
"We had nothing to lose," Wellnitz said. "If anyone had anything to lose it was them because they were undefeated and ranked No. 1. If we would have won we could have tied for the conference. They will probably win conference and we will probably get second. It wasn't the playoffs. If we play like we did tonight in the playoffs maybe we will see them at (state) Green Bay."
Black Hawk (11-6, 8-2) slowed the tempo down and used Wellnitz to make plays and passes at the top of the Eagles' pressure and trapping defense. Wellnitz scored a game-high 17 points and ignited a 7-2 fourth quarter run.
"I know with a player like Jen it's easy to fall into an up-tempo game," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "That highlights her attributes. We are just not a big scoring team besides Jen. We are not high volume scorers. We tried to make it a low possession game."
Wellnitz, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit, came up with a clutch steal and layup to cut a one-time Eagles' 10-point lead to 28-21 in the fourth quarter. Black Hawk senior Michelle Flanagan scored on a putback with 4 minutes, 40 seconds left in the fourth to cut the Eagles' lead to 28-24. Black Hawk junior Tatum Jackson hit two free throws with 56.3 seconds to go to slice the Eagles' lead to 30-28, but that is as close as they would get.
The last time the Warriors played the Eagles they lost by 30 points. Barneveld has beat teams in the conference by an average of 41 points this year.
"I'm really proud of the way the team played and stayed together," Flanagan said. "I thought we worked really hard on defense. The biggest fear coming into this game is if the kids will be scared to get beat before they even come out. When we ran out on the floor, I didn't know which team would show up. They obviously believed they could win."
The Warriors got out to a strong start. Wellnitz scored 12 points in the first half. She knocked down a jumper at the start of the second quarter to give the Warriors an 14-8 lead. Barneveld freshman Mia Whitish drilled a 3-pointer late in the second quarter to help give the Eagles a 23-18 lead at the half.
The Warriors went more than 10 minutes without a basket in the second half. Barneveld sophomore Rachel Slaney picked up her fourth foul with 6:11 to go in the third quarter. She sat on the bench the rest of the third until late in the fourth quarter. Barneveld sophomore Hannah Whitish knocked down a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to give the Eagles a 28-18 lead.
The Warriors shot 50 percent at the free throw line (8 of 16) and had two turnovers late in the fourth quarter they couldn't overcome.
"There were some big ones," Flanagan said of the missed free throws. "They are a bunch of teenagers and people forget that. We missed some opportunities underneath.
"We got the ball in the perfect position a couple of times in the first half and kicked it out for a worse shot at times. I got in the locker room at the half and I said don't be afraid to be great. I think the biggest thing we can take way from this game is if we put in a game plan and execute it we put ourselves in a position to be competitive."
Slaney and Sporle each scored nine points. The Warriors limited Hannah Whitish to just eight points.
"We did what Madison Edgewood did to her," Flanagan said. "We face guarded her and didn't let her get the ball back. We wanted to make someone else beat us. We attacked Slaney more because we feel like she is foul prone."
Wellnitz is encouraged by the Warriors' performance against the No. 1 ranked Eagles.
"We had a couple of turnovers, but we ran this offense better tonight than we did last year," she said. "We were just really patient with it. It will come with time. We have a lot of juniors and seniors, but I still feel like we are a young team. I feel like we took a step in the right direction."
Barneveld (18-0, 10-0 Six Rivers East) got late free throws from seniors Mackenzie Sporle and Hailey Kleppe to escape with a 33-28 win and survive Black Hawk's upset bid.
"We had nothing to lose," Wellnitz said. "If anyone had anything to lose it was them because they were undefeated and ranked No. 1. If we would have won we could have tied for the conference. They will probably win conference and we will probably get second. It wasn't the playoffs. If we play like we did tonight in the playoffs maybe we will see them at (state) Green Bay."
Black Hawk (11-6, 8-2) slowed the tempo down and used Wellnitz to make plays and passes at the top of the Eagles' pressure and trapping defense. Wellnitz scored a game-high 17 points and ignited a 7-2 fourth quarter run.
"I know with a player like Jen it's easy to fall into an up-tempo game," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "That highlights her attributes. We are just not a big scoring team besides Jen. We are not high volume scorers. We tried to make it a low possession game."
Wellnitz, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit, came up with a clutch steal and layup to cut a one-time Eagles' 10-point lead to 28-21 in the fourth quarter. Black Hawk senior Michelle Flanagan scored on a putback with 4 minutes, 40 seconds left in the fourth to cut the Eagles' lead to 28-24. Black Hawk junior Tatum Jackson hit two free throws with 56.3 seconds to go to slice the Eagles' lead to 30-28, but that is as close as they would get.
The last time the Warriors played the Eagles they lost by 30 points. Barneveld has beat teams in the conference by an average of 41 points this year.
"I'm really proud of the way the team played and stayed together," Flanagan said. "I thought we worked really hard on defense. The biggest fear coming into this game is if the kids will be scared to get beat before they even come out. When we ran out on the floor, I didn't know which team would show up. They obviously believed they could win."
The Warriors got out to a strong start. Wellnitz scored 12 points in the first half. She knocked down a jumper at the start of the second quarter to give the Warriors an 14-8 lead. Barneveld freshman Mia Whitish drilled a 3-pointer late in the second quarter to help give the Eagles a 23-18 lead at the half.
The Warriors went more than 10 minutes without a basket in the second half. Barneveld sophomore Rachel Slaney picked up her fourth foul with 6:11 to go in the third quarter. She sat on the bench the rest of the third until late in the fourth quarter. Barneveld sophomore Hannah Whitish knocked down a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to give the Eagles a 28-18 lead.
The Warriors shot 50 percent at the free throw line (8 of 16) and had two turnovers late in the fourth quarter they couldn't overcome.
"There were some big ones," Flanagan said of the missed free throws. "They are a bunch of teenagers and people forget that. We missed some opportunities underneath.
"We got the ball in the perfect position a couple of times in the first half and kicked it out for a worse shot at times. I got in the locker room at the half and I said don't be afraid to be great. I think the biggest thing we can take way from this game is if we put in a game plan and execute it we put ourselves in a position to be competitive."
Slaney and Sporle each scored nine points. The Warriors limited Hannah Whitish to just eight points.
"We did what Madison Edgewood did to her," Flanagan said. "We face guarded her and didn't let her get the ball back. We wanted to make someone else beat us. We attacked Slaney more because we feel like she is foul prone."
Wellnitz is encouraged by the Warriors' performance against the No. 1 ranked Eagles.
"We had a couple of turnovers, but we ran this offense better tonight than we did last year," she said. "We were just really patient with it. It will come with time. We have a lot of juniors and seniors, but I still feel like we are a young team. I feel like we took a step in the right direction."
