Second-half push carries Lady Bulldogs to win over Hilltoppers

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GLENWOOD CITY — During the first few minutes of last Tuesday’s Dunn-St. Croix girls’ basketball game in Glenwood City, it appeared as though the Bulldogs were going to run away with an easy victory over the host Hilltoppers.

Boyceville opened the January 10 contest with a 12-0 splurge which prompted first-year Glenwood City head coach Kirsten Konder to ask for a timeout at 14:48.

Following that break, Konder’s charges did something they have rarely been able to do this season, find an offensive spark. Guards Libby Wagner and Jenna McCarthy jumped started the Toppers’ offensive engine which not only saw them whittle away at the Bulldogs’ double-digit advantage but actually take a two-point lead, 22-20, with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.

Boyceville reestablished its lead on consecutive buckets by seniors Rachael Montgomery and Abby Schlough but Glenwood City junior Libby Wagner capped a 12-point, first half performance by hitting a jump shot just before the halftime horn to knot the game up at 24 all.

But, coming out of the intermission, Glenwood City turned the basketball over on its first four possessions and each time Boyceville responded with a two-point score.

And just like that, the Bulldogs were ahead by eight points  and eventually outscored the Hilltoppers 29 to ten in the final 18 minutes of action to earn a 53-34 victory on their rival home court.

“We came out looking ready to play and started with nice lead, but we got lazy and out of position on defense and Glenwood City did a good job battling back,” said Jay Lagerstrom, Boyceville head coach, whose halftime talk seemed to light a fire under his players.

“I thought we came out the locker room in the second half with some real determination and Hailey Hanestad really set the tone with some really aggressive play on both ends that the others fed off of,” stated Lagerstrom.

The Bulldogs’ determination was already evident in the first half.

After Glenwood City got the game’s opening tip but misfired on its first shot, Boyceville grabbed the rebound and moved quickly down the court with junior Hannah Dunn easily penetrating the Toppers’ defense for a layup and the contest’s first two points. Seniors Hailey Hanestad and Cambrie Reisimer hit back-to-back hoops before Hanestad drained a three, her only one in  the game, to put the Bulldogs in front 9-0.

Rachael Montgomery would get into the scoring act when her teammates got her the ball down low, something Boyceville was able to do often in the first half, for the easy hoop off the glass as she was fouled by Topper Izzy Davis. Montgomery completed the three-point play with a free throw to push the Bulldogs lead to 12-0.

Glenwood City took the aforementioned timeout that seemed to change the complexion of the game, at least in the first half.

Sophomore Jenna McCarthy emerged from the timeout and scored Glenwood City’s first basket of the game off a rebound at 13:46. Davis followed with a hoop from the paint.

After both teams missed a pair of free tosses, Montgomery stopped Glenwood City’s mini-run with a basket from close range.

The teams continued to trade scores until Wagner scored on three straight processions to cut the Boyceville lead to 20-15. A steal and hoop by the Toppers’  Opal Voeltz further trimmed the hosts’ deficit to just three. After Boyceville missed both ends of a two-shot foul, Wagner drove the baseline and pulled up for a short two-point jumper that had Glenwood City with a single point, 20-19, with three and a half to play in the first half. Just 30 seconds later, McCarthy made one of two foul shots to tie the score at 20. McCarthy then corralled a rebound and put it back up and in to give the Hilltoppers their first and as it turned out only lead  at 22-20 with 2:35 remaining.

Montgomery, who tallied  a dozen points in that first half, scored to pull the Bulldogs even at 22. Senior Abby Schlough’s only hoop of the game put Boyceville back in front before the Toppers’ Libby Wagner hit another baseline jumper to send the game to halftime knotted at 24.

The Bulldogs took advantage of the Hilltoppers’ turnovers and  foul trouble to start the second stanza. After scoring the first four hoops of the second half for an eight-point lead, Boyceville got the Toppers’ sophomore post Izzy Davis to commit her fourth foul.

With Davis on the bench, the Bulldogs continued to widen their advantage. Hanestad and Dunn, who had just five and two points, respectively, in the first half, came alive. Hanestad tacked nine points on to her final tally in the second half on two hoops and a 5-for-9 effort at the line while Dunn scored 11 of her 13 points in that latter half on two deuces, a three and four free tosses.

Sarah Stoveren then hit a three for her only points of the contest, to give the Bulldogs their largest lead yet, a 48-32 advantage with four minutes left in the game.

Dunn added three charity tosses before McCarthy netted the Toppers’ final hoop with a minute remaining.

Hanestad closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws to finish off a 53-34 Bulldogs’ win.

Boyceville’s Rachael Montgomery topped all scorers with 19 points while teammates Hailey Hanestad scored 14 points and finished with nine rebounds and Hannah Dunn added 13 points and six assists. Sarah Stoveren had seven boards. 

Boyceville finished just 10-for-23 at the line with a three triples while Glenwood City only shot eight free throws making two and finished without a three pointer.

Wagner and McCarthy led the Toppers with 14 and ten points, respectively.

The win was the Bulldogs second in conference and sixth overall while the Hilltoppers remained winless on the year.

“The overall real difference was our team defense in the second half that they all played,” concluded Boyceville coach Jay Lagerstrom.