Multiple area Girls Basketball teams kept their quest for State alive by winning Regional Championships on Monday. The games were played after winter weather delayed the tournament for much of the area.
Division 2
Hortonville 56, Merrill 53
Hortonville’s early lead slowly disappeared in the second half, as Merrill gave the top seeded Polar Bears a scare, but Hortonville won their third consecutive Regional Championship with a 56-53 win. The Polar Bears were led in scoring by Shay Frederick with 19 points and Morgan Allen with 13.
I’m just really proud of them and they just battled, but we talked about how we have to finish games” said Hortonville Coach Celeste Ratka. “One bounce in the playoffs can really make a difference.”
“We had to go deep in our bench due to foul trouble, but each girl stepped up in their own way.”
New London 53, Lakeland 44
Division 3
Freedom 54, Fox Valley Lutheran 39
The Freedom Irish proved that they can play with and beat really good teams, with a strong offensive performance that led to a 54-39 Regional Final win over FVL.
“Fox Valley Lutheran is always tougher than tough, but our Conference play helped us learn to hold on to leads” said Freedom Coach Mike Vander Loop. “We got the ball inside, but we also had a big shooting day from Brooke Gerrett which helped us create distance.”
Garrett ended up with 9 points, all from behind the arc. MaKenna Haase led the Irish with 19 points. Jenna Bruss led the Foxes with 15 points.
Amherst 60, Xavier 47
Wrightstown 59, Southern Door 53
Wrightstown held on to a first half lead and did enough to extend their season in the Sectionals with a 59-53 win. Kailee Van Zeeland led the Tigers 14 points. Brooke Froehlke had 13.
Division 4
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 40, Stratford 33
Wittenberg-Birnamwood made key late free throws to overcome a sluggish start, but still pulled away with a 40-33 win over Stratford. The Chargers trailed 15-14 at the break, but outscored the Tigers 26-18 in the second half. Kristen Clark was the only Charger in double digit scoring. “Our defense kept us in the game and we were a little stronger in the second half” said Chargers Coach Mike Balliett
Shiocton 58, Reedsville 42
Tina Ubl and Skylor Burns had a big second half to help Shiocton pull away for a 58-42 win over Reedsville. The two were the only two in double digit scoring with 14 and 11 points respectfully.
Thursday Area Sectional Schedule
Division 1
#1 Appleton North vs. #2 Appleton West @ Appleton East
#6 Sheboygan North vs. #2 De Pere @ Ashwaubenon
Division 2
#1 Hortonville vs #3 New London @ Kimberly
#1 West De Pere vs #3 Seymour @ Kaukauna
Division 3
#1 Freedom vs #2 Amherst @ Seymour
#1 Wrightstown vs #3 Kewaunee @ Manitowoc Lincoln
Division 4
#1 Wittenberg-Birnamwood vs #4 Neilsville @ Wausau West
#1 Manitowoc Lutheran vs #3 Shiocton @ Green Bay Preble