Bulldog girls maul Hilltoppers to earn regular-season sweep with 28-point win
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BATTLE FOR THE BALL — Topper Opal Voeltz (left) and Bulldog Zoey Hellendrung (right) fought for possession of the basketball during the February 17 game in Boyceville. A jump ball was called on the play. The Bulldogs won the game 52-24. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
BOYCEVILLE — After a few unproductive possessions to begin the February 17 Dunn-St. Croix girls’ basketball rematch, played in Boyceville, between the rival Bulldogs and Hilltoppers, Glenwood City finally broke the scoreless deadlock when senior Isabel Davis scored in the paint for a 2-0 lead.
As it turned out, however, that would be the visiting Toppers one and only advantage throughout the entirety of the contest, which was a make up for the December 19 game that had been postponed due to bad weather conditions.
A pair of Boyceville three balls sandwiched around a free throw had the Bulldogs off an running on an 11-0 run from which the Hilltoppers never recovered.
After a couple of Glenwood City deuces cut the Boyceville lead back to five at 11-6, the Bulldogs embarked on a 17-2 run that put them ahead 28-8 at halftime.
Boyceville then scored the first 12 points of the second half and cruised to a 52-24 win and a sweep of the regular-season series. The Bulldogs won the first match up, played February 6 in Glenwood City, by a 66-44 count.
With the Monday, February 17 win over Glenwood City coupled with Thursday’s 68-44 home win against Spring Valley in the conference and regular season finale, Boyceville finished fifth in the final Dunn-St. Croix girls’ basketball standings with a 6-8 record and headed into theWIAA tournament with an 11-12 mark.
Meanwhile, Glenwood City capped an up and down conference season by defeating Elmwood-Plum City in a 38-37 nail biter played Thursday, February 20 in Plum City. The Toppers finished 2-12 in league play with both victories coming against those same EPC Wolves. The Hilltoppers, 9-15 overall, concluded their regular season on Saturday afternoon, February 22 with a 59-39 non-conference loss at home to Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran.
Stories about the Boyceville versus Spring Valley contest and Glenwood City’s games against EPC and Immanuel Lutheran came be found elsewhere in this week’s sports section.
Davis’s icebreaker seemed to charge up the Hilltoppers, but a pair of three-point hoops quickly swung the momentum in Boyceville’s favor to stay.
With the Bulldogs trailing 2-0, sophomore Aubrey Malean hit the first of four Bulldog triples and Boyceville went ahead 3-2. Malean then stole the ball and was fouled by the Toppers’ Kirah Krueger on the subsequent drive to the basket. Malean netted the her second free toss for a 4-2 lead. Freshman Brooklyn Talmage followed with the first of her two triples for a 7-2 Bulldog advantage.
BOYCEVILLE’S Ellie Engeman eyed the hoop as she attempted a shot during the Lady Bulldogs’ February 17 home game against rival Hilltoppers. Boyceville earned a series sweep with a 52-24 win. Engeman finished with nine points. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Boyceville’s defensive pressure gave Glenwood City fits all night.
On the ensuing Topper possession, Boyceville’s pressure led to a steal by Talmage and Krueger picked up her second personal foul in less than a minute trying to stop Talmage’s drive to the basket. Talmage hit both free throws.
Moments later, Talmage came away with another steal and converted it into a fast-break basket for an 11-2 Boyceville lead.
Lillie McGee broke the Toppers five-minute scoring drought with a nice two-point hoop from the top of the key. On Glenwood City’s next possession, Opal Voeltz was fouled by Bulldog Chelsi Holden. Voeltz narrowed her teams’ deficit to five points by converting both free tosses.
Now trailing just 11 to 6, Glenwood City head coach Ryan Tiberg called for a time out with 8:15 left in the first half.
GLENWOOD CITY senior Isabel Davis (#52) was fouled by Boyceville’s Blake Jeske while she attempted to take a shot during the February 17 girls’ basketball game in the Dog House. Davis led the Toppers with ten points. Glenwood City lost the contest 52-24.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
But, coming out of the time out, Kirah Krueger was whistled for her third infraction. Boyceville’s Ellie Engeman went to the line and made both charity tosses. Those freebies were the start of a 10-0 Boyceville run that featured consecutive baseline jumpers by Malean, a second Talmage three-point make and a Blake Jeske free throw as the Bulldog lead stretched to 21-6.
McGee finally stopped the Toppers’ bleeding with steal that ended with a hoop and a foul. McGee could not complete the three-point play as she misfired on the free throw. Glenwood City also missed narrowing the gap when Kyra Flick and Kaylin Brandt both came up empty on a pair of foul shots on back-to-back Toppers possession.
In the final seconds of the half, Holden and Talmage came up with steals and hoops in back-to-back possession that gave the Bulldogs a 28-8 advantage heading into the halftime break.
Boyceville continued to apply full-court pressure as the second half got under way which resulted in more Topper turnovers and a 12-0 Bulldog run.
A rebound for two by Holden, a Jeske steal and lay up, followed by another Boyceville steal that Malean converted into two points, a pair of Talmage jump shots and two points off the hands of Engeman had the Bulldogs way in front 40-8.
An inbounds pass that Kaylin Brandt turned into her only points of the game brought the Toppers’ tally to ten points with just over 13 minutes still left on the game clock.
GC’s Anaka Eliason then scored her only basket to make it 40-12.
A Talmage steal and two-point make and a three by Engeman added five points to the Bulldogs’ score.
BULLDOG freshman Brooklyn Talmage dribbled past Glenwood City defender Anaka Eliason during the girls’ basketball game in Boyceville February 17. Talmage netted 18 points including a pair of threes to led the Bulldogs to a 52-24 win, for a season sweep of the Hilltoppers. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
After Davis sank a pair of free throws for the Toppers, Engeman scored, Emma Harvey tacked on a free toss and Zoey Hellendrung scored on an inbounds pass that made it 50-14.
Davis scored three straight hoops for the Toppers and Krueger and Yadi Moreno each tacked on a two-point hoop while Harvey added the Bulldogs’ last bucket to make the final tally, 52-24, in Boyceville’s favor.
Talmage and Malean finished in double figures to led the Bulldogs. Talmage netted 18 points which included two triples, she added six rebound and had four steals. Malean collected ten points and three steals. Blake Jeske added eight points to go with eight steals and four assists and four rebounds, Engeman finished with nine points and six rebounds, and Holden had five boards, a pair of assists and two steals. The Bulldogs hit 8-of-13 free throws and went 4-for-15 beyond the arc.
Davis paced Glenwood City with ten points and had five rebounds, McGee finished with four points and Voeltz, Brandt, Krueger, Moreno and Eliason all had two points and Kyra Flick pulled down nine rebounds. The Toppers went 4-for-14 at the line and were 0-for-10 from three-point land.