SOUTH WAYNE - Jen Wellnitz scored 17 of her 29 points in the first quarter to help Black Hawk open up a big early lead over Johnson Creek, on their way to picking up a 73-36 win in the opening round of WIAA postseason play.
Wellnitz accounted for half of the Warriors' first quarter points, as they outscored the Bluejays 34-7 in the opening period.
"Jen had 17 of her 29 in the first quarter. She was just getting to the basket and finishing shots," said Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan. "We played aggressive defense. We forced some turnovers, which led to some baskets. They were a team that really struggled to take care of the ball against defensive pressure."
Ali Tetzlaff was Johnson Creek's leading scorer, with 10 points. Other leading scorers for Black Hawk included Olivia Holland with 9 points and Mikayla Sigafus with 8 points.
The Warriors (14-9) now advance to the regional semifinals on Friday, where they will see a very familiar foe. Black Hawk, seeded fifth, takes on No. 4 Monticello. Both the Warriors and Ponies are in the Six Rivers East, and the two teams have met twice in the past month, with Monticello coming out on top both times. Both of those games were decided by five or fewer points, so Flanagan doesn't expect to change much going into the game.
"In both of those games, as close as they were, it comes down to making plays," Flanagan said. "We're not gonna adjust a whole lot. I can't imagine they'll change a whole lot. We hope to make a couple more plays than the first times around. It's two evenly matched teams; every indication is that it will be a good battle."
Monticello 52, Albany 41
MONTICELLO - In sports where division rivals face each other in the playoffs, there is an adage that goes "it is hard to beat a team three times." Monticello proved worthy of the feat Tuesday night, defeating Six River East foe Albany for the third time this season, 52-41.
With the win, Monticello advances to the sectional semifinals, where they will host another conference opponent in Black Hawk, with tip off at 7 p.m. The Ponies beat the Warriors twice during the regular season, so Monticello will have to accomplish the three-game feat yet again to advance.
As for Tuesday, the Ponies won every quarter, even after coming out of the gates a little slow offensively according to head coach Lori Brokopp.
"(Albany) came out tonight with a lot of defensive pressure, and our offense couldn't get into much of a flow," she said. "I give them a lot of credit.
"We found we needed to push the ball a little bit. (Albany) got into a little bit of foul trouble. We did a pretty good job of getting to the basket."
A total of 10 Monticello players got in on the offensive action. Sophomore Courtney Leuzinger led the Ponies, with 13 points. Sophomore Paige Dilley added nine, and Jordan Garrison and Amy Silver each chipped in seven.
"That was nice to see," Brokopp said, of the offensive distribution. "We've been priding our offense on trying to keep things spread."
Even with the balanced offensive output, Brokopp said her players know they allowed too many unforced turnovers and that they'll need to correct that by Friday.
"Playing a team like Black Hawk, you have to take care of the ball better than that," she said.
Defensively, Brokopp said things could have gone better for the Ponies. However, she added "I think any time you can hold a team to 31 points, you're doing OK."
Leading the way for Albany was senior Kirstie Kauk, who scored a game-high 19 points. Junior Felicia Conley and senior Carlie Peters each added four points.
Friday night will be the third time the Ponies square off against the Warriors. In the previous two meetings, Monticello won by a combined six points including an overtime win.
"It is difficult to beat a team three times, but we're going to do as much as we can to come out ahead," Brokopp said. "Jen Wellnitz leads her team very well. She's going to get her touches, she's going to get her steals."
Brokopp said a key will be for her team to not hang their heads if and when Wellnitz steals the ball and turns it into points: "Riding those Jen waves, if you will," she said.
"Black Hawk is a good team. You know its going to be a battle no matter what."
Argyle 44, Juda 25
ARGYLE - After getting out to a slow start, the Orioles turned up the pressure on their press and rolled to a 44-25 win over the Panthers.
Juda jumped out to an 8-5 first quarter lead. The Orioles then outscored the Panthers 14-5 in the second quarter to take a five-point lead at the half. The Orioles broke the game open by outscoring the Panthers 12-2 in the third quarter. Argyle senior Kayla Ostby scored a game-high 12 points and junior Jessica Treuthardt added nine.
"We came out really flat," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said. "Juda came out with a high intensity."
The Orioles shot just 2 of 16 in the first quarter, but the press sparked their run.
"Our pressure defense in the second, third and fourth quarters was much better," Ritschard said. "We had 28 steals."
Juda senior Jessica Rackow scored eight points to lead the Panthers. Argyle (13-10) will play the winner of No. 2 seed Benton-Shullsburg (20-2) and Williams. Benton-Shullsburg and Williams Bay's game was postponed Tuesday, and they will play tonight. The Orioles lost to Benton-Shullsburg 67-64 in overtime earlier this month. The Zephyrs are led by Blaire Lutes, who averages 16.9 points per game. Lutes scored 23 points the win against the Orioles Feb. 18.
"The heart and soul of their team is Blaire Lutes," Ritschard said. "If we can find a way to shut her down, cut down on their transition and make them play half court we have a chance."
New Glarus 54, Waterloo 15
NEW GLARUS - The New Glarus offense was back in form Tuesday night, which, combined with a dominating defensive effort, allowed the Glarner Knights to cruise to an opening round win over Waterloo.
New Glarus scored just 27 points and struggled shooting the ball in a 34-27 loss to Poynette in their regular season finale last Thursday. The Glarner Knights didn't let that performance carry over to Tuesday night, as they found their shot once again.
"We got our shooting back. We really found ourselves again," said New Glarus coach Megan Scheele. "We worked well together. On Thursday, it didn't seem like we played as much as a team. Tonight, we worked it around on the offensive end. Our nice defense also transferred to offense."
That solid defense was on display throughout the game, especially in the first quarter, when the Glarner Knights held Waterloo scoreless. New Glarus only allowed three points in the second quarter to take a 22-3 lead into halftime. Scheele said the key on the defensive end for New Glarus was playing with intensity.
"We were just playing intense defense. You get energy out of that," she said. "We were playing that way as a team, getting team stops. That's how we have to play, and we did that tonight. We pressured the ball, got steals and turnovers, and that transferred to points."
Courtney Feller led the Glarner Knights, with 19 points. She was joined in double figures by Lexi Hanson, who scored 12 points.
"Feller had five threes. She kinda spread it out; she had at least one in every quarter but the fourth," Scheele said. "Hanson scored all but two of her points in the second half."
Scheele said that the win allowed her team to get their confidence back up after Thursday's rough outing.
"It's good to get the win," she said. "At times you want a (first round) bye, but it's also good to play and keep our goals in mind. We struggled on Thursday, so it was nice for the girls to get their confidence back up."
New Glarus (13-10) hosts Capitol South foe Cambridge on Friday in the regional semifinal. The Glarner Knights knocked off the Blue Jays twice during the regular season.
Wellnitz accounted for half of the Warriors' first quarter points, as they outscored the Bluejays 34-7 in the opening period.
"Jen had 17 of her 29 in the first quarter. She was just getting to the basket and finishing shots," said Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan. "We played aggressive defense. We forced some turnovers, which led to some baskets. They were a team that really struggled to take care of the ball against defensive pressure."
Ali Tetzlaff was Johnson Creek's leading scorer, with 10 points. Other leading scorers for Black Hawk included Olivia Holland with 9 points and Mikayla Sigafus with 8 points.
The Warriors (14-9) now advance to the regional semifinals on Friday, where they will see a very familiar foe. Black Hawk, seeded fifth, takes on No. 4 Monticello. Both the Warriors and Ponies are in the Six Rivers East, and the two teams have met twice in the past month, with Monticello coming out on top both times. Both of those games were decided by five or fewer points, so Flanagan doesn't expect to change much going into the game.
"In both of those games, as close as they were, it comes down to making plays," Flanagan said. "We're not gonna adjust a whole lot. I can't imagine they'll change a whole lot. We hope to make a couple more plays than the first times around. It's two evenly matched teams; every indication is that it will be a good battle."
Monticello 52, Albany 41
MONTICELLO - In sports where division rivals face each other in the playoffs, there is an adage that goes "it is hard to beat a team three times." Monticello proved worthy of the feat Tuesday night, defeating Six River East foe Albany for the third time this season, 52-41.
With the win, Monticello advances to the sectional semifinals, where they will host another conference opponent in Black Hawk, with tip off at 7 p.m. The Ponies beat the Warriors twice during the regular season, so Monticello will have to accomplish the three-game feat yet again to advance.
As for Tuesday, the Ponies won every quarter, even after coming out of the gates a little slow offensively according to head coach Lori Brokopp.
"(Albany) came out tonight with a lot of defensive pressure, and our offense couldn't get into much of a flow," she said. "I give them a lot of credit.
"We found we needed to push the ball a little bit. (Albany) got into a little bit of foul trouble. We did a pretty good job of getting to the basket."
A total of 10 Monticello players got in on the offensive action. Sophomore Courtney Leuzinger led the Ponies, with 13 points. Sophomore Paige Dilley added nine, and Jordan Garrison and Amy Silver each chipped in seven.
"That was nice to see," Brokopp said, of the offensive distribution. "We've been priding our offense on trying to keep things spread."
Even with the balanced offensive output, Brokopp said her players know they allowed too many unforced turnovers and that they'll need to correct that by Friday.
"Playing a team like Black Hawk, you have to take care of the ball better than that," she said.
Defensively, Brokopp said things could have gone better for the Ponies. However, she added "I think any time you can hold a team to 31 points, you're doing OK."
Leading the way for Albany was senior Kirstie Kauk, who scored a game-high 19 points. Junior Felicia Conley and senior Carlie Peters each added four points.
Friday night will be the third time the Ponies square off against the Warriors. In the previous two meetings, Monticello won by a combined six points including an overtime win.
"It is difficult to beat a team three times, but we're going to do as much as we can to come out ahead," Brokopp said. "Jen Wellnitz leads her team very well. She's going to get her touches, she's going to get her steals."
Brokopp said a key will be for her team to not hang their heads if and when Wellnitz steals the ball and turns it into points: "Riding those Jen waves, if you will," she said.
"Black Hawk is a good team. You know its going to be a battle no matter what."
Argyle 44, Juda 25
ARGYLE - After getting out to a slow start, the Orioles turned up the pressure on their press and rolled to a 44-25 win over the Panthers.
Juda jumped out to an 8-5 first quarter lead. The Orioles then outscored the Panthers 14-5 in the second quarter to take a five-point lead at the half. The Orioles broke the game open by outscoring the Panthers 12-2 in the third quarter. Argyle senior Kayla Ostby scored a game-high 12 points and junior Jessica Treuthardt added nine.
"We came out really flat," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said. "Juda came out with a high intensity."
The Orioles shot just 2 of 16 in the first quarter, but the press sparked their run.
"Our pressure defense in the second, third and fourth quarters was much better," Ritschard said. "We had 28 steals."
Juda senior Jessica Rackow scored eight points to lead the Panthers. Argyle (13-10) will play the winner of No. 2 seed Benton-Shullsburg (20-2) and Williams. Benton-Shullsburg and Williams Bay's game was postponed Tuesday, and they will play tonight. The Orioles lost to Benton-Shullsburg 67-64 in overtime earlier this month. The Zephyrs are led by Blaire Lutes, who averages 16.9 points per game. Lutes scored 23 points the win against the Orioles Feb. 18.
"The heart and soul of their team is Blaire Lutes," Ritschard said. "If we can find a way to shut her down, cut down on their transition and make them play half court we have a chance."
New Glarus 54, Waterloo 15
NEW GLARUS - The New Glarus offense was back in form Tuesday night, which, combined with a dominating defensive effort, allowed the Glarner Knights to cruise to an opening round win over Waterloo.
New Glarus scored just 27 points and struggled shooting the ball in a 34-27 loss to Poynette in their regular season finale last Thursday. The Glarner Knights didn't let that performance carry over to Tuesday night, as they found their shot once again.
"We got our shooting back. We really found ourselves again," said New Glarus coach Megan Scheele. "We worked well together. On Thursday, it didn't seem like we played as much as a team. Tonight, we worked it around on the offensive end. Our nice defense also transferred to offense."
That solid defense was on display throughout the game, especially in the first quarter, when the Glarner Knights held Waterloo scoreless. New Glarus only allowed three points in the second quarter to take a 22-3 lead into halftime. Scheele said the key on the defensive end for New Glarus was playing with intensity.
"We were just playing intense defense. You get energy out of that," she said. "We were playing that way as a team, getting team stops. That's how we have to play, and we did that tonight. We pressured the ball, got steals and turnovers, and that transferred to points."
Courtney Feller led the Glarner Knights, with 19 points. She was joined in double figures by Lexi Hanson, who scored 12 points.
"Feller had five threes. She kinda spread it out; she had at least one in every quarter but the fourth," Scheele said. "Hanson scored all but two of her points in the second half."
Scheele said that the win allowed her team to get their confidence back up after Thursday's rough outing.
"It's good to get the win," she said. "At times you want a (first round) bye, but it's also good to play and keep our goals in mind. We struggled on Thursday, so it was nice for the girls to get their confidence back up."
New Glarus (13-10) hosts Capitol South foe Cambridge on Friday in the regional semifinal. The Glarner Knights knocked off the Blue Jays twice during the regular season.
