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Lady Toppers’ dominant run continues against Flambeau, ends at Durand in back-to-back games

By: Laura Giammattei

GLENWOOD CITY — The new year got off to a somewhat bittersweet start for the Glenwood City girls’ basketball team.

The Lady Toppers competed in two away games their first week back from holiday break. First, a sweet 47-31 victory against the highly ranked Flambeau Falcons on Tuesday, January 5, only to be followed by a bitter 55-46 loss against the Durand Panthers two days later on Thursday, January 7.

In Flambeau, the Glenwood City girls managed to overcome their opponent’s height advantage and come up with a strong sixteen point win.

Justin Kuehndorf, Glenwood City’s head coach, beamed about the team’s performance: “The girls played a very solid game. It was probably one of our better games. They (Flambeau) are the biggest girls team I’ve seen in a long time. They have quite a few players pushing the six foot mark or taller and were ranked sixth in the state in the division five poll. The girls shot well and were able to get some baskets in transition, along with good team defense and they did a nice job on the boards as well.”

Senior Rachel Klatt led the team with eight two-point field goals, distributed evenly between the two halves, while fellow senior Gabby Peterson followed closely behind with two successful baskets from the arc as well as three two-pointers. She also connected on two of her three attempts at the free throw line. Senior Morgan Kadinger additionally contributed two close field goals in both halves and a three-pointer early in the first half.

The girls played extremely well on the defensive end, holding the average 59.5 point Falcons to just 31 points total, Flambeau’s lowest scoring game by at least 11 points this season. It was Flambeau’s second loss of the season and, ironically, Glenwood City shared the same fate two days later in Durand.

The Lady Hilltoppers’ second game this past week in Durand proved to be a much more challenging encounter than expected.

Coach Kuehndorf summarized his thoughts on the game: “Both teams got off to a quick start scoring from the outside. We cooled off and they continued to stay hot from the arc, finishing the game with eight three-point buckets. We got into early foul trouble and it cost us, as I had to sit a few kids early in the competition. Durand played a great game and they definitely earned the win. We had plenty of opportunities to catch them but it just wasn’t meant to be. We normally shoot fairly well from the free throw line, but we struggled with that along with our rotation on defense. The effort was good but mentally we just couldn’t get back in the game to execute the plays we needed to pull out the win.”

Despite their loss, senior Morgan Kadinger and sophomore Jenesa Klinger both had solid offensive games, scoring 11 and 15 points, respectively. Kadinger shot well near the basket, while Klinger held strong on the arc.

On the other end of the court, Panthers’ senior Mandy Wegener and junior Ambree Schlosser each put up 13 and 15 points respectively, and the team’s remaining 26 points were distributed between five more Durand athletes.

The Lady Toppers emerged this week from their loss against Durand to take on their rival, the Boyceville Bulldogs on Tuesday, January 12. Their next competition will be held away in Colfax on Saturday, January 16 followed by a home game against Grantsburg on Tuesday, January 19.