Lady Bulldogs struggle, drop home game to Elk Mound

By Cara L. Dempski

BOYCEVILLE — Five days after a stunning come-from-behind overtime win in Colfax, the Boyceville girls’ basketball team hosted Elk Mound for the Lady Bulldogs’ third conference contest this season.

It was, by head coach Jolene Bird’s admission, not a good game. Bird had only one word to describe the Bulldogs’ play against Elk Mound in the December 13, match-up between the two teams.

“Ugly,” she stated. 

The Mounders outscored Boyceville three-to-one in the first half of the December 13 game to take a commanding 27-9 lead into halftime.

Elk Mound continued to drive hard defensively despite a decisive improvement in the Bulldogs’ offensive play in the second half that resulted in another 21 points for the team in purple. Sadly, Boyceville’s effort was not enough, and they fell to Elk Mound, 52-30.

The Bulldogs struggled in every aspect of the game, whether it was maintaining control of the ball or sinking shots. Bird said the combination of turnovers and poor shooting spelled disaster against Elk Mound, who was able to find the chinks in Boyceville’s defensive armor to walk away with the 22-point win and a tie for second place in the D-SC with the Bulldogs and Lady Buffaloes. All three teams are 2-1 in conference play.

“We just didn’t execute well,” Bird said. “And when you don’t execute well, you’re just not going to score.”

Madysn Riek led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points in a game where Boyceville just could not get to the glass, and if they could, they could not sink their shots.

Rachel Prestrud, Cassie Malean and Brooklyn Hellmann each picked up five points to, while Morgan Kuhn and Emma Harnisch evenly split four points with a field goal and two free shots.

Bird said she spoke to the team after the game and offered the only wisdom she could.

“I told them in the locker room, the season is not based on one game, and you gotta let it go, come back tomorrow, and work harder,” the Boyceville coach said.

The Bulldogs were scheduled to play the Plum City/Elmwood Wolves in Plum City last Friday, December 16 but a winter storm caused the postponement of the game. It will be made up on February 17.

Boyceville, currently 3-2 overall, hosts a pair of non-conference games this week to open a four-game homestand. The Bulldogs hosted former Dunn-St. Croix member and now Middle Border combatant St. Croix Central last evening (December 20). Chetek-Weyerhaeuser comes to town Thursday.

Following the holiday break, Cameron will be at the Dog House on January 3 with rival Glenwood City coming in January 5 as conference play resumes.

ELK MOUND 52, BOYCEVILLE 30
Elk Mound………………………..27  25 — 52
Boyceville…………………………..9  21 — 30

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Elk Mound (11-9-15-52) K. Baier 0-0-3-0, H. Cedarblade 1-1-2-3, A. Weber 2-2-3-13, E. Fasbender 2-2-1-17, K. King 0-4-1-4, G. Peterson 0-1-0-1, A. Gunderson-Morris 1-0-1-2, M. Borofka 1-1-2-3, M. Radtke 4-0-1-8, C. Sweeney 0-0-1-0.

Boyceville (7-10-18-30) R. Prestrud 1-0-3-3, B. Booth 0-0-1-0, C. Malean 1-3-3-5, M. Kuhn 0-2-1-2, M. Riek 4-3-3-11, E. Harnisch 1-0-2-2, B. Hellmann 0-2-4-5.

THREE-POINTERS EM — A. Weber 3, E. Fasbender 4; B — R. Prestrud 1, B. Hellmann 1.