Boyceville girls knock off Colfax in overtime, tied for first

COLFAX — Boyceville never held a lead during regulation play when it traveled to Colfax for a Dunn-St. Croix girls’ basketball showdown December 8.

The Boyceville girls squad found a way to persevere and win thanks to the collective effort of senior leadership.

The Lady Bulldogs did knot the score three times in the final five and a half minutes of play in the second half, including a Madysn Riek three-pointer from the corner with 12 seconds remaining. The senior post player’s shot tied the game at 41 and sent it into overtime.

In that extra frame, Boyceville took its first-ever lead when Riek, who tallied 24 points to lead all scorers, bounced a running jump shot off the glass and in with a Colfax defender’s hands in her face. That gave the Bulldogs a 43-42 advantage with 40.9 seconds left on the overtime clock.

The Vikings’ sophomore center Emma Hurlburt had an opportunity to tie the contest or give Colfax the lead but she missed both free shots of a double bonus. Senior Cassie Malean took the ball and drove hard down court and was fouled going up for the lay-up. Malean nailed both charity tosses for a 45-42 Bulldogs’ lead.

Then, with just under eight seconds to play, yet another Boyceville senior, Brooklyn Hellmann, picked off an errant Colfax pass and dribbled it down court as the final seconds on a 45-42 Bulldogs’ victory expired.

Boyceville head coach Jolene Bird said the Bulldogs settled in defensively after the first nine minutes of the game, forcing Colfax to work hard for offensive opportunities, despite a tremendous shooting start from the Vikings.

Although they never led in regulation play, the Bulldogs nipped at the Vikings heels throughout the contest never trailing by more than seven points and were often just a field goal or three-pointer including at halftime when they pulled to within three points of Colfax, trailing just 26-23.

“Madysn Riek was able to have a great night offensively with the help of teammates understanding we needed her to get touches in the paint,” Bird stated.

While Riek picked up 24 points against the Vikings, five of her teammates joined in the fun as well.

Emma Harnisch picked up six points over three field goals in the first half, while Brooklyn Hellmann put in a field goal and a three pointer, and Cassie Malean made a field goal and a trio of free shots. Both Hellmann and Malean are credited with five points.

Rachel Prestrud recorded three points on a single outside shot, and Morgan Kuhn grabbed a 50 percent free throw average by making two of her four free shots.

The win in Colfax raises the Bulldogs to a 3-1 overall record and puts them at 2-0 in the Dunn-St. Croix and in a first-place tie with Durand.

The Boyceville girls played a home match against Elk Mound on December 13. They hit the road to meet the Elmwood/Plum City Wolves on December 15, before playing their final game before the Holiday break at home against St. Croix Central on December 20.

BOYCEVILLE 45, COLFAX 42
Boyceville…………………….23  18  4 — 45
Colfax………………………….25  15  1 — 42

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Boyceville (13-9-16-45) R. Prestrud 0-0-1-3, B. Booth 0-0-1-0, C. Malean 1-3-2-5, M. Kuhn 0-2-2-2, M. Riek 8-4-4-24, E. Harnisch 3-0-3-6, B. Hellmann 1-0-3-5.

Colfax (4-10-15-42) A. Dachel 0-1-1-7, A. Heidorn 2-2-4-18, K. Meredith 0-0-3-0, S. Henricks 1-2-1-10, T. Irwin 0-2-1-2, B. Buchanan 0-0-2-0, H. Sykora 0-2-0-2, E. Hurlburt 1-1-3-3.

THREE-POINTERS B — R. Prestrud 1, M. Riek 1, B. Hellmann 1; C — A. Dachel 2, A. Heidorn 4, S. Henricks 2.