Lady Toppers’ basketball closes out regular season with pair of losses
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By Missy Klatt
Sports Correspondent
GLENWOOD CITY —The Lady Hilltoppers’ basketball team ended their regular season this past week with a pair of home losses.
First up was a non-conference game on Tuesday, February 18 where Glenwood City lost to the Cadott Hornets 24-48. Then, last Thursday, February 20, the girls were run over by the Buffaloes of Mondovi, 44-76, in their final conference game.
The Hilltoppers finished the regular season 4-17 overall and 2-12 in the Dunn-St. Croix conference, good for seventh place in the 8-team league. They traveled to Shell Lake on Tuesday, February 25th for the first round of the Division 4 WIAA playoffs. The winner will advance to face top-seed Colfax in a regional semifinal game this Friday, February 28 on the Vikings’ home court.
Cadott
Tuesday’s game was a last-minute addition to the schedule as the Bayfield game that was supposed to take place this past Saturday the 22nd was canceled.
The Hornets, who finished 6-8 in the Cloverbelt West conference and 12-10 overall, came ready to play. Unlike the Hilltoppers, whom head coach Dean Fayerweather commented, “We did not show up to play.”
After the first half, Cadott only had a six-point lead, 20-14, but it was the second half where things really changed.
Twelve minutes had passed in the second half before the Hilltoppers even got on the scoreboard. By the end of the half and game, Glenwood City had only mustered ten points while Cadott put up 28 to easily win, 48-24.
Bella Rassbach was the Toppers leading scorer with seven while Delanie Fayerweather chipped in six.
Glenwood
City
(24)
FG-FT-F-T: Rassbach 3-1-3-7, Oehlke 2-0-4-4, Ullom 1-1-0-3, Thompson 1-0-2-2, Mendez 0-2-4-2, Schutz 0-0-0-0, Fayerweather 2-1-2-6, Buttles 0-0-0-0. Total 9-5 15-24.
Cadott
(48)
FG-FT-F-T: Goodman 0-0-0-0, E. Eiler 1-1-0-4, Goettl 0-1-1-1, Prokupek 0-0-0-0, A. Eiler 2-0-2-6, Sonnentag 0-1-0-1, Bremness 0-1-4-1, Wellner 0-0-0-0, Horvat 1-0-0-3, Barone 2-2-1-6, Kowalczyk 9-1-2-19, Ryan 1-0-0-3, Kane 2-0-4-4. Total 18-7-14-48.
Glenwood City 14 10 – 24
Cadott 20 28 – 48
3-point goals: Glenwood City: Fayerweather. Cadott: E. Eiler, A. Eiler 2, Horvat, Ryan.
Mondovi
The Mondovi Buffaloes quickly jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in Thursday’s regular and conference season finale.
Two free throws from Delanie Fayerweather, two under the basket from Yasmin Mendez and a short jumper from Maddie Oehlke then tied the game at eight. This would be as close to the Buffaloes as the Toppers would get all night as they struggled with the full-court press that the Buffaloes threw at them during the first half.
After the tie, the Buffaloes then jumped ahead with six unanswered points followed by just two from the Toppers and then six more from the Buffaloes followed by two more from the Toppers.
Now, with the score Buffaloes 20 and Toppers 12, Mondovi put up nine points. The Toppers then had some luck beating the press and put up nine points of their own.
More often than not, the Toppers turned the ball over or the Buffaloes came up with a steal with their press. The last minute and a half of the first half was all Buffaloes as they scored eight points, thanks in part, to a couple of steals while pressing. For the Toppers, who have had limited numbers all season, the press really wore them down.
At halftime, the Buffaloes enjoyed a 40-21 lead.
The second half started with the teams more or less trading points. Just when it looked like the Toppers had the Buffalo press figured out, the Buffaloes went on a nine-point run.
Not to be defeated, the Hilltoppers kept at it and added six points all from Mendez. Glenwood City now trailed 38-59. Over the next six minutes or so, the Toppers missed a lot of shots and were outscored 15-2 as the Buffaloes continued to make their shots.
At the 2:17 mark, Natasha DeSmith sank two free throws for the Toppers which was followed by a short jumper from Kassidi Thompson about a minute and a half later. This was immediately followed by two more from the Buffaloes with less than twenty seconds on the clock. DeSmith was then fouled right at the buzzer, however, she didn’t connect on these throws and the Buffaloes won the game 76-44.
Mendez and Oehlke both scored double digits for the Toppers with 14 and ten points, respectively. Ella Poeschel (26) and Morgan Clark (22) combined for 48 of the Buffs’ 76 points.
After the game, Coach Fayerweather remarked, “I won’t say I’m not disappointed.”
It is what it is and with his lack of depth on the bench, wins have been hard to come by. That coupled with the fact that at this point in the season all teams have improved.
Glenwood
City
(44)
FG-FT-F-T: Rassbach 3-0-2-6, Oehlke 5-0-2-10, Ullom 0-0-0-0, Thompson 2-0-1-5, Mendez 6-2-1-14, DeSmith 0-2-0-2, Schutz 0-0-0-0, Strong 0-0-1-0, Fayerweather 2-3-3-7, Buttles 0-0-0-0. Total 18-7-10-44.
Mondovi
(76)
FG-FT-F-T: Clark 8-4-2-22, Noetzelmann 0-0-0-0, Hulke 2-0-1-5, Poeschel 9-4-1-26, Allemann 1-0-1-2, Thompson 4-0-0-9, A. Johnson 0-2-1-2, Berg 1-0-1-2, Fedie 4-0-4-8, Kreibich 0-0-0-0, Everson 0-0-1-0 I. Johnson 0-0-0-0. Total 29-10-12-76.
Glenwood City 21 23 – 44
Mondovi 40 36 – 76
3-point goals: Glenwood City: Thompson. Mondovi: Clark 2, Hulke, Poeschel 4, Thompson.