FORT ATKINSON - Whitewater High's girls basketball team entered WIAA tournament play as the top-ranked team in Division 3.
Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer believes the Whippets will justify that ranking with a state title.
On Thursday night, Myriama Smith-Traore scored 22 points to lead Whitewater to a 60-43 victory over Kammerer's Cardinals in a sectional semifinal game.
Whitewater (25-0) plays Dodgeville (21-2) in a sectional final game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Middleton. The Whippets have never qualified for state.
In losing to Whitewater handily for the second time this season, Kammerer knows the Whippets are going to be tough to beat.
"We fell short of getting back to state for the second straight year, but I really believe we lost to a team that has a great chance of going to Green Bay and winning a state title," Kammerer said. "They can hurt you in so many ways. They attack you defensively, and with (Smith-Traore) down low, they're a very tough matchup for anybody."
Whitewater jumped out to a seven-point lead after one quarter, but Brodhead hung tough in the second and cut the lead to three on two Kylie Moe free throws with 2:40 left. The Whippets scored the last four points of the half and led 24-17.
A 10-3 run by Whitewater to start the second half pushed the lead to double digits, and Brodhead got no closer than nine after that.
Smith-Traore, an impressive 6-foot-2 sophomore center, took over in the fourth. She scored 12 in the quarter, including back-to-back baskets with 4:48 left that made it 49-36 and started a 12-2 Whitewater run.
Smith-Traore, saddled with foul trouble for most of last year's sectional semifinal loss to Brodhead, was a non-factor a year ago. She made the difference for Whitewater on Thursday night.
"Myriama has just reached the tip of the iceberg with her potential," Whitewater coach Judy Harms said. "You saw tonight what she's capable of doing. She's so hard to stop in the open court."
Kailey Reynolds and Rebekah Schumacher added 10 points each for Whitewater.
Freshman Erin Nyhus had 19 points for Brodhead, but Kylie Moe, the Rock Valley's leading scorer, was held to just four points.
Harms doesn't know much about Dodgeville, and said that's the way she prefers it.
"I haven't really tried to find out too much about them because I've been harping to our kids all year long about playing our game," Harms said. "If we play the way we're capable of, things will take care of themselves."
Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer believes the Whippets will justify that ranking with a state title.
On Thursday night, Myriama Smith-Traore scored 22 points to lead Whitewater to a 60-43 victory over Kammerer's Cardinals in a sectional semifinal game.
Whitewater (25-0) plays Dodgeville (21-2) in a sectional final game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Middleton. The Whippets have never qualified for state.
In losing to Whitewater handily for the second time this season, Kammerer knows the Whippets are going to be tough to beat.
"We fell short of getting back to state for the second straight year, but I really believe we lost to a team that has a great chance of going to Green Bay and winning a state title," Kammerer said. "They can hurt you in so many ways. They attack you defensively, and with (Smith-Traore) down low, they're a very tough matchup for anybody."
Whitewater jumped out to a seven-point lead after one quarter, but Brodhead hung tough in the second and cut the lead to three on two Kylie Moe free throws with 2:40 left. The Whippets scored the last four points of the half and led 24-17.
A 10-3 run by Whitewater to start the second half pushed the lead to double digits, and Brodhead got no closer than nine after that.
Smith-Traore, an impressive 6-foot-2 sophomore center, took over in the fourth. She scored 12 in the quarter, including back-to-back baskets with 4:48 left that made it 49-36 and started a 12-2 Whitewater run.
Smith-Traore, saddled with foul trouble for most of last year's sectional semifinal loss to Brodhead, was a non-factor a year ago. She made the difference for Whitewater on Thursday night.
"Myriama has just reached the tip of the iceberg with her potential," Whitewater coach Judy Harms said. "You saw tonight what she's capable of doing. She's so hard to stop in the open court."
Kailey Reynolds and Rebekah Schumacher added 10 points each for Whitewater.
Freshman Erin Nyhus had 19 points for Brodhead, but Kylie Moe, the Rock Valley's leading scorer, was held to just four points.
Harms doesn't know much about Dodgeville, and said that's the way she prefers it.
"I haven't really tried to find out too much about them because I've been harping to our kids all year long about playing our game," Harms said. "If we play the way we're capable of, things will take care of themselves."
