BRODHEAD - Whitewater junior Myriama Smith-Traore admitted she and her girls basketball teammates spent all day Thursday talking up their date with Brodhead.
Perhaps the Whippets, ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 3, were a little overhyped as they fell behind in a first half during which they turned the ball over nine times.
The defending WIAA Division 3 state champions showed their composure, however, battling back in the second half and edging the No. 6 Cardinals in a 57-56 thriller that added another chapter to a budding rivalry.
"Turnovers and slips and missing easy layups (in the first half), but I think in the second half we fought and came back," said Smith-Traore, who scored all 14 of her points after halftime.
"There were a lot of nerves ... but I think when it's time to pull it together, I believe that we can."
Whitewater improved to
10-1 overall and 7-0 atop the Rock Valley North Conference standings. Brodhead fell to 10-2 and 6-1 atop the RVC South.
Cardinals coach Brian Kammerer could not have asked for a better effort from his team, which took the lead over the first 18 minutes by getting to the free-throw line. Senior guard Kylie Moe, who matched sophomore teammate Erin Nyhus with a game-high 21 points, went 8-for-8 from the line.
Brodhead also double-teamed Smith-Traore - a Division I college recruit - in a 2-3 zone defense to hold her scoreless.
"Our low-block girls, for how much height we were giving up on Myriama, I thought they did a tremendous job," Kammerer said. "I just feel so bad for our girls. I thought they gave the best shot they could possibly give, and some things didn't fall our way."
Brodhead led by eight points three times early in the second half. Trailing 42-35, Whitewater made an 11-0 run to lead by four with 7:29 to play.
The Whippets moved Smith-Traore to a small forward position in the second half in an effort to get her more looks at the basket. The change led to just five field-goal attempts (making three), but she went 8-for-10 from the line. She also blocked or altered more than 10 shots.
"I'm just amazed at how she keeps her strength and calm face no matter how stressful it is," Whitewater coach Judy Harms said.
The Cardinals didn't wilt. Nyhus hit two of her five 3-pointers in a three-possession span to regain a 51-48 lead with less than 4 minutes left.
Whitewater tied it at 51 with a transition layup with 2:30 to go. The Whippets forced three straight empty possessions - two turnovers and a Smith-Traore block - and hit 5 of 6 free throws at the other end to lead 56-51.
With 22 seconds left, Moe buried a deep 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two before Smith-Traore made a free throw. The Cardinals missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds and a Whitewater putback at the buzzer left them with a one-point loss.
"We really talked a long time (at halftime) about keeping our composure and playing our game," said Harms, who got a team-high 15 points from Rebekah Schumacher. "We just needed to calm down and play together."
Whitewater went 14 of 21 from the line in the second half. Brodhead, which prides itself on scoring from the line, was held without an attempt after halftime.
"That's either some real disciplined defense by Whitewater or us not attacking the basket or something else," Kammerer said. "(But) they're the best team in Division 3, and tonight we played them where we led most of the game and came out on the short end of the stick. Our girls have to have a lot of confidence."
Perhaps the two teams will meet again. They've met in the sectional semifinals each of the past two seasons-with the winner later going on to earn a state tournament berth - and could be on the same collision course in 2016.
Perhaps the Whippets, ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 3, were a little overhyped as they fell behind in a first half during which they turned the ball over nine times.
The defending WIAA Division 3 state champions showed their composure, however, battling back in the second half and edging the No. 6 Cardinals in a 57-56 thriller that added another chapter to a budding rivalry.
"Turnovers and slips and missing easy layups (in the first half), but I think in the second half we fought and came back," said Smith-Traore, who scored all 14 of her points after halftime.
"There were a lot of nerves ... but I think when it's time to pull it together, I believe that we can."
Whitewater improved to
10-1 overall and 7-0 atop the Rock Valley North Conference standings. Brodhead fell to 10-2 and 6-1 atop the RVC South.
Cardinals coach Brian Kammerer could not have asked for a better effort from his team, which took the lead over the first 18 minutes by getting to the free-throw line. Senior guard Kylie Moe, who matched sophomore teammate Erin Nyhus with a game-high 21 points, went 8-for-8 from the line.
Brodhead also double-teamed Smith-Traore - a Division I college recruit - in a 2-3 zone defense to hold her scoreless.
"Our low-block girls, for how much height we were giving up on Myriama, I thought they did a tremendous job," Kammerer said. "I just feel so bad for our girls. I thought they gave the best shot they could possibly give, and some things didn't fall our way."
Brodhead led by eight points three times early in the second half. Trailing 42-35, Whitewater made an 11-0 run to lead by four with 7:29 to play.
The Whippets moved Smith-Traore to a small forward position in the second half in an effort to get her more looks at the basket. The change led to just five field-goal attempts (making three), but she went 8-for-10 from the line. She also blocked or altered more than 10 shots.
"I'm just amazed at how she keeps her strength and calm face no matter how stressful it is," Whitewater coach Judy Harms said.
The Cardinals didn't wilt. Nyhus hit two of her five 3-pointers in a three-possession span to regain a 51-48 lead with less than 4 minutes left.
Whitewater tied it at 51 with a transition layup with 2:30 to go. The Whippets forced three straight empty possessions - two turnovers and a Smith-Traore block - and hit 5 of 6 free throws at the other end to lead 56-51.
With 22 seconds left, Moe buried a deep 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two before Smith-Traore made a free throw. The Cardinals missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds and a Whitewater putback at the buzzer left them with a one-point loss.
"We really talked a long time (at halftime) about keeping our composure and playing our game," said Harms, who got a team-high 15 points from Rebekah Schumacher. "We just needed to calm down and play together."
Whitewater went 14 of 21 from the line in the second half. Brodhead, which prides itself on scoring from the line, was held without an attempt after halftime.
"That's either some real disciplined defense by Whitewater or us not attacking the basket or something else," Kammerer said. "(But) they're the best team in Division 3, and tonight we played them where we led most of the game and came out on the short end of the stick. Our girls have to have a lot of confidence."
Perhaps the two teams will meet again. They've met in the sectional semifinals each of the past two seasons-with the winner later going on to earn a state tournament berth - and could be on the same collision course in 2016.
