Mounder girls use second-half surge to beat Aquinas in sectional semifinal
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ELK MOUND junior Ellie Schiszik sank this three-point shot in the first half of the Mounders’ WIAA Division 3 girls’ basketball sectional semifinal at the Wanek Center in Arcadia Thursday evening, February 29. Schiszik went 7-for-7 at the free throw line and hit that three-point shot to finish with 14 points in Elk Mound’s 51-35 win over La Crosse Aquinas. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
ARCADIA — A year ago, the Elk Mound girls’ basketball team saw its season end with a heartbreaking loss to West Salem in a WIAA Division 3 sectional semifinal game that was played in Arcadia’s Wanek Center.
This year’s undefeated Mounders’ squad, the top seed, returned to the Wanek Center last Thursday, February 29 for another Division 3 sectional semifinal contest this time versus La Crosse Aquinas (23-4), champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference and the number two seed. Like Elk Mound, Aquinas has a rich history on the hardwood having won back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019.
But, the Lady Mounders were not going to be denied this year!
After trailing by two points at halftime and six to start the second half, Elk Mound used a 17-3 run to take control of the contest and doubled their offensive output from the opening half to earn hard fought 51-35 win over the Blugolds and a spot in Saturday’s champion game in Amery against Middle Border champion Baldwin-Woodville. The Blackhawks, whom the Mounders defeated 51-39 at home back on November 30, beat fellow conference mate Somerset 56-42 in the other sectional semifinal that same evening.
“I am very proud of our kids,” said Mounder head coach Jordan Kongshaug.
“We played a really good team tonight and we battled and kept our composure,” added Kongshaug of his team which outscored Aquinas 34 to 16 in the final half of play.
With both teams playing tight man-to-man defense from the start of the game, scoring opportunities were at a premium for much of the game.
The contest remained scoreless for two and a half minutes until sophomore Samantha Davis, the Blugolds’ leading scorer this season, put a shot off the glass for the game’s first two points.
It didn’t take long for Elk Mound’s top gun, Ellie Schiszik, to answer. The junior point guard took the ball on the ensuing possession and drove right down the lane for the hoop and drew a foul from Blugold junior Kathryn Savoldelli. Schiszik swished the foul shot for a 3-2 Mounder advantage.
Aquinas took a 5-3 lead on a three pointer from junior Emma Dobbins for what would turn out to be her only points in the contest.
Elk Mound junior Allie Roder added a pair of free tosses on the Mounders next possession to knot the score at five.
Savoldelli put Aquinas back in front, but Elk Mound sophomore Allie Robel responded with her first two points to even the score once again.
BIG GAME — Elk Mound sophomore Allie Robel (#2) split a pair of La Crosse Aquinas defenders to score two of her game-high 22 points in a WIAA girls’ basketball sectional semifinal in Arcadia February 29. The Mounder defeated the Blugolds 51-35. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes as the game was deadlocked at 9-9, 11-11 and 13-13 with Elk Mound senior Lydia Levra putting in a pair of hoops while Robel had the other two.
Robel gave Elk Mound its first lead in nearly ten minutes when she hit the front end of the two-shot foul. On the very next possession, Schiszik nailed her only three in the contest from the top of the key to extend the Elk Mound advantage to 17-13. Schiszik missed a subsequent three that resulted in Robel committing her third foul of the half on the rebound attempt with 3:36 remaining in the first half of play.
Aquinas, however, scored the last six points of the first half to take a 19-17 lead into the break.
The Blugolds grew that run to 10-0 with the first four points of the second half for a 23-17 advantage.
But, Elk Mound responded.
Robel got inside for a basket and following a Mounder steal, Levra sank her team’s second and final triple of the game as Elk Mound pulled to within a point of the Blugolds. Levra then had an opportunity to give her team the lead but was off the mark on a pair of free throw attempts.
Davis pushed the Aquinas led back to three with a baby hook shot from inside the lane.
Elk Mound went inside and found Robel open for an easy lay in. Schiszik stole the basketball on the Blugolds’ ensuing possession and was fouled by Aquinas’ Ava Fernholz, her third, while shooting. Schiszik made both charity tosses to give Elk Mound its first lead, 26-25, of the second half at the 14:09 mark.
SENIOR Lydia Levra looked to get off a shot while being closely guarded by Aquinas player Emma Dobbins. Levra finished with five points to help Elk Mound defeat La Crosse Aquinas 51-35 in the February 29 WIAA Division 3 girls’ basketball sectional semifinal at Arcadia’s Wanek Center. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
A nice inbounds play to Schiszik netted two more points for the Mounders. Following a Blugold free throw, Robel added a pair of freebies and scored three straight baskets, the final one off a beautiful bounce pass from Allie Roder, to stretch Elk Mound’s lead to 34-26.
Aquinas stopped the bleeding, momentarily, with a free throw which was followed a three pointer off the hands of Maddie Murphy, but Robel struck again scoring from down low while being fouled. She converted the free toss for the conventional three-point play to give the Mounders a nine-point advantage.
While Aquinas was dealing with some foul trouble so was Elk Mound when Schiszik picked up her fourth with five and half minutes remaining. The Blugolds’ Savoldelli made both free throws.
But consecutive hoops and a free throw by senior Carl Mohr, following a fifth foul by Aquinas’ Fernholz, gave the Mounders’ their largest lead yet at 44-32 with 4:01 remaining on the game clock.
The Mounders closed out their scoring at the free throw line, as they made 7-of-12. Schiszik finished 4-for-4, Robel was 2-of-4 and Roder hit one of her two tries. Davis hit a free toss for the Blugolds and teammate Mary Niegelsen closed out the game scoring with a final basket as the Mounders prevailed 51-35.
After five, first-half points, Allie Robel scored 17 in the final stanza to lead Elk Mound with 22 points. Schiszik was the only other Mounder to hit double figures as she tallied 15. Mohr added seven, Levra finished with five and Roder had three. Elk Mound was just 16-for-43 shooting including 2-for-14 behind the three-point arc. The Mounders, however, were 17-for-27 at the charity stripe and finished with a 32-27 edge in rebounds led by 13 from Robel, who also had three of her team’s six blocked shots.
Davis, who averages 22 point per game average, tallied 16 before she fouled out of the game to top Aquinas’ soring chart. The Blugolds made just 11 of their 40 shots including a pair of threes and were 11-for-19 at the line.