Elk Mound girls end season with sectional loss to West Salem
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SOPHOMORE Ellie Schiszik of Elk Mound let fly with this three-point shot attempt during a Division 3 sectional semifinal game played in Arcadia Thursday, March 2. Schiszik tallied 17 points including three triples to lead the Mounders in a 44-35 loss to West Salem.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
ARCADIA — With about 12 and a half minutes remaining in the second half of last Thursday’s WIAA Division 3 girls’ basketball sectional semifinal played in the Wanek Arena at Arcadia High School, junior Lydia Levra canned a three pointer to give Elk Mound its largest lead of the game, a 27 to 20 advantage over West Salem.
But a youthful Panthers’ squad, who carried the second seed and were ranked 10th in the coaches’ final D3 state poll prior to the start of the playoffs, outscored the top-seeded Mounders 24 to 8 the rest of the way to claim a 44-35 victory in the March 2 contest.
The season-ending loss was just Elk Mound’s second of the year as it finished with a fine 25-2 mark which included conference and regional championships. West Salem (26-2) which features just one senior and one junior on its varsity roster, went on to defeat Somerset 55-50 Saturday afternoon, March 4 in Altoona to earn the sectional crown and a berth in this week’s state championship in Green Bay.
“It was a tough loss, but we are proud of our team’s season,” said Elk Mound head coach Jordan Kongshaug. “Our team left everything on the floor.”
Elk Mound, who never trailed in the first half, got off to a quick 7-2 advantage thanks to the hot hands of sophomore Ellie Schiszik who made a pair of baskets sandwiched around the first of her three triples.
But, West Salem pulled even when freshman Josie Brudos hit her only three and then came up with the steal and hoop on the subsequent full-court press to knot the contest.
Schiszik answered with another three pointer which was followed by a baseline basket from senior Stella Rhude, who was a strong first-half presence around the hoop, for a 12-7 Mounder lead.
Again, the Panthers came back with back-to-back buckets by Reece Sackett to close to within a point.
Rhude then drove the baseline once again and with three West Salem defenders surrounding her made a hoop to give Elk Mound a three-point advantage. The Panthers would once more bring their deficit back to one point with a pair of free tosses that made it 14-13.
Rhude answered with yet another baseline score to re-establish a three-point Mounders’ lead at 16-13 but West Salem sophomore Sydney Quick hit her only bucket of the game, a three pointer, that tied the contest at 16-16 with 4:53 remaining until halftime.
Neither squad was able to put the basketball through the hoop for the remainder of the first half although the Mounders came close in the waning seconds when senior Tori Blaskowski hauled in full-court pass only to have her shot blocked as the horn sounded and the score still knotted at 16 all.
Schiszik’s ten points and three hoops by Rhude accounted for all of Elk Mound’s first-half scores.
The Panthers would take their first lead of the contest just 23 seconds into the second half when sophomore Sam Niemeier drove to the basket for two and drew the foul from Mounder senior Brooke Emery which was her third of the game. Niemeier missed the free toss but the Panthers were in front 18-16.
West Salem’s lead lasted less than two minutes before Schiszik canned trey number three to put Elk Mound back in front 19-18. Following a Panther turn over and timeout, Rhude came through with her final two points of the game to extend her squad’s lead to three points.
ELK MOUND’S Stella Rhude prepared to lay in the basketball during the first half of the Mounders’ sectional semifinal basketball game against West Salem. Rhude tallied eight points in the game that was played in Wanek Arena at Arcadia High School Thursday, March 2. The Mounders season ended with a 44-35 loss to the Panthers.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
Emery then sank her first hoop of the game, to up the Mounders’ advantage to 24-18 with 14:47 remaining on the second-half clock.
After a West Salem basket, Levra nailed a three pointer, her first basket in the game, to give Elk Mound its largest advantage at 27-20.
Both squads went cold for nearly three and a half minutes before West Salem converted 3-of-4 foul shots to cut its deficit to four points.
Brudos scored in the paint for the Panthers to slice the Mounder lead in half at 27-25. Less than a minute later, West Salem evened the score when the team’s lone senior, Anna McConkey, stole the ball and converted the hoop with 7:46 remaining.
Following a Mounder timeout, Schiszik ended Elk Mound’s nearly seven-minute scoring drought with a nice jumper from the paint that put the locals ahead once more at 29-27. West Salem, however, would retake the advantage when it made the front end of a two-shot foul and then snared the rebound off the missed second attempt and put it back in for a 30-29 lead.
1,000-point scorer and the Mounders’ second-leading point getter this season, senior Tori Blaskowski, finally picked up her first and as it turned out only of the game when she hit one of two foul shots to tie the game once again.
The Panthers took the lead for good on a Megan Johnson hoop. Schiszik went 2-for-4 at the line but McConkey and Johnson made back-to-back jumpers to put West Salem ahead 36-32.
Levra cut the Elk Mound deficit to two with a nice drive and pull up jumper only to have the Panthers’ McConkey reply with a basket on the next possession.
Emery made one of two foul shots to get the Mounders within three at 38-35 with 1:42 remaining.
Unfortunately, Elk Mound did not score another point following Emery’s freebie. Meanwhile, West Salem sank six of their ensuing eight foul shots to secure the 44-35 victory.
Schiszik was the only Mounder to finish in double digits as she lead all scorers with 17 points including three of her squad’s five triples. Rhude finished with eight points and six rebounds. Levra tallied five points, four rebounds and had four steals. Emery scored four points and four boards while Blaskowski who was held to a single points led in rebounds with seven. The Mounder finished 4-for-10 at the line.
Senior Anna McConkey led West Salem with a dozen points with Josie Brudos adding ten and Megan Johnson nine. The Panthers went 14-for-22 at the free throw line and made two triples.
It was the final contest for eight Elk Mound seniors.
“We would especially like to thank our seniors Tori Blaskowski, Brooke Emery, Lauren Garnett, Karsyn Heath, Stella Rhude, Grace Roder, Mercede Rothbauer, and Sierra Simpson. They have left a lasting imprint on Elk Mound Girls Basketball,” concluded Konshaug.