Colfax girls split games to begin season
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COLFAX senior guard Kaysen Goodell (#4) is shown driving the hoop during the Vikings’ home, non-conference girls’ basketball game versus Baldwin-Woodville November 22. Goodell led all scorers with 15 points to help Colfax to a 49-42 victory. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
It certainly wasn’t the best way to begin the basketball season for the Colfax girls as they lost on the road to a very good Eau Claire Regis team 71-55 November 19. But, the Vikings turned things around pretty quick when they earned a huge win over Division 3 competitor Baldwin-Woodville three days later, 49-42.
The games were both non-conference games for the Vikings.
Colfax opens Dunn-St. Croix play this Thursday at home versus Boyceville and host Fall Creek this Saturday, December 7 at 5:15 p.m. The girls then travel to Spring Valley next Tuesday, December 10.
Eau Claire Regis
The Ramblers were coming off a season where they finished 21-6 and ended up in third place behind McDonell Central and Fall Creek in the Cloverbelt West Conference. They lost to Fall Creek in the sectional semi-final by three points, and Fall Creek lost to McDonell in the sectional final to give you a little understanding of how strong the conference is. Making things more interesting, Regis has a transfer player from McDonell this year who happened to score 30 points against the Vikings.
The first game of the season is usually not the most well played with players learning to work together after just a week of practice.
The Vikings started hot, however, when Brynn Sikora and Kaysen Goodell drilled a three pointer each for a 6-3 lead. After a free toss by Goodell, Jordyn Bowe connected from long range for a 10-7 Colfax lead, but the Ramblers scored five straight points before Leila Hurlburt scored for the Vikings off an in-bounds pass for a 10-10 score.
Regis added five more points before Sierra Shipman dropped a bucket in from the paint but two Rambler close range shots put them up 23-14. Goodell knocked down a pair of free throws and canned a triple to cut the Viking deficit to four points and Bowe, after getting fouled on a three-point attempt, hit 1-of-3 freebies.
COLFAX junior Jordyn Bowe made this reverse layup for two of her 13 points to help the Lady Vikings defeat Baldwin-Woodville 49-42 in a November 22 home basketball game. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Regis added to their lead, scoring twice after the Vikings turned the ball over for a 27-20 advantage, but Shipman closed the gap on a trey. A Bowe free toss was the only point before the half while Regis added seven more and led 34-24 at the half.
Bowe drilled another triple early in the second half, but the Vikings went cold from the field while the Rambler’s Ellamay Cooper was scoring at will, helping them to pull ahead 45-27.
Bowe went on a scoring run with a bucket and free throw, followed by a triple from the top of the circle and yet another long ball to get the Vikings closer, down 47-36. Regis added seven more points however, and Bowe came up with another three-point play on a jumper and the free throw.
Shipman and Bowe both connected for two free tosses, but Colfax just couldn’t keep pace as the Ramblers went ahead 63-43.
Bowe wasn’t finished yet as she scored on a lay up and drilled yet another triple to finish off a career high 27 points. Lyric Nichols scored the final two points for the Vikings on a shot in the paint.
Bowe scored her team high points on 5-for-10 three pointers and 6-for-11 free throws. The Vikings were 9-for-30 as a team from long range and 14-for-23 at the foul stripe. Goodell finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
Cooper’s 30 points was tops for the Ramblers as the team made seven triples and were 16-for-22 at the foul line.
Baldwin-Woodville
Head coach Courtney Sarauer has always thought that playing good teams in non-conference games early in the season prepares them for Dunn-St. Croix Conference play and for tournament play later in the season.
THE VIKINGS’ Sierra Shipman attempted this three-point shot during the first half of a November 22 non-conference girls’ basketball contest in Colfax. Shipman socred 11 points in the Vikings’ 49-42 win. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
This game was a prime example since the Blackhawks, a Division 3 team, ended their season a year ago at the WIAA state tournament after defeating Elk Mound, the D-SC Conference champion, in the sectional final. With several of those players back, this appeared to be a good test for the Vikings.
Colfax kept pace with the Blackhawks the whole game as four players did all the scoring for Colfax in the first half including Shipman and Goodell with nine each while Bowe contributed with seven and Clara Hydukovich four.
The Vikings led 29-21 at the break and used their defensive pressure and timely scoring to maintain a lead all through the second half. Colfax knocked down 10-of-16 free throws in the half to help their cause with Sikora draining four of them.
“I was really impressed with our ability to defend as a team,” coach Sarauer commented.
“Our gap help and boxing out was way better than on Tuesday in the Regis game. Another highlight was Sierra Shipman finished with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds,” she added.
A balanced scoring attack was helpful as Goodell scored 15 points, Bowe added 13, Shipman 10, Sikora six and Hydukovich four. Colfax connected on just two triples and were 15-for-24 at the charity stripe.
Baldwin-Woodville also made just two triples and hit 10-for-20 free throws.