Mounder girls split conference games to end regular season
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It is not exactly how the Elk Mound girls’ basketball team wanted to enter the postseason, losing two of its last three conference contests including splitting a pair of Dunn-St. Croix games in the final week of the regular season.
Just two weeks ago, the Lady Mounders were tied atop the conference standings. But, a 21-point loss to four-time D-SC champion and rival Colfax on the Vikings’ home court February 11 followed three days (Monday, February 14) later by a close 56-51 loss in Durand took Elk Mound out of championship contention.
The Mounders did salvage a decisive 69-30 win in the regular season and conference finale played in Spring Valley last Thursday, February 17 to finish with an 11-3 mark in conference play, good for third place, and will enter the WIAA Division 3 tournament with an 18-6 overall mark.
By virtue of their number two seed, the Lady Mounders received an opening-round bye and will host the victor of the Stanley-Boyd (#7) – Viroqua (#10) contest this Friday night, February 25. That winner will play in the regional championship the following evening.
Durand
With little time to dwell on the loss at Colfax, the Elk Mound girls played in Durand on Valentine’s Day to battle the Panthers for second-place honors.
Both teams came into the Monday, February 14 game, which was a make-up from December 17, with a pair of conference losses.
After battling to a 23 all deadlock at halftime, the host Panthers edged passed the Mounders 33 to 28 in the second half to take the 56-51 victory and sole possession of second place in the D-SC.
Madison Sand and Madisyn Kilboten, who had been held to just two and three points, respectively, by Elk Mound in the opening 18 minutes, scored 21 of Durand’s 33 second-half points to lead the charge. Sand netted 13 of her team-leading 15 points in the latter half including a pair of triples and a five-for-six performance at the free throw line while Kilboten, the Panthers’ leading scorer, had eight – two hoops and four freebies.
Elk Mound’s Ellie Schiszik had 11 of her game-high 18 points in the first half off of a trio of three pointers and a conventional basket but was limited to two hoops and three free tosses in the final 18 minutes. Brooke Emery and Stella Rhude each finished with nine points. All of Emery’s points came in the second half while Rhude scored five in the first and four in the second frame. Tori Blaskowski finished with seven points, six of which came in the first half.
Elk Mound finished with five treys but was a lackluster ten-for-19 at the line. Durand hit nine threes and a mundane 15 of its 30 free throws.
Spring Valley
Playing the sixth place Cardinals of Spring Valley proved to be somewhat of a panacea for the ailing Mounders.
Eight players contributed scores for Elk Mound including three in double figures helping the visiting Mounders pluck the Cardinals 69-30 in the season and conference finale for both teams last Thursday, February 17.
Ellie Schiszik made five of the Lady Mounders 11 three-point makes to lead all scorers with 19 points.
Teammates Tori Blaskowski and Brooke Emery netted 17 and 12 points, respectively. Much of those points, 15 by Blaskowski and all dozen of Emery’s came in the first half as Elk Mound built a commanding 47-21 lead over their hosts. Blaskowski and Emery also finished with two triples as did Madisyn Mohr who tallied eight points.
Elk Mound also outpointed Spring Valley, 22-9, in the second half as it cruised to the 39-point win.
The Mounders were 4-for-9 at the line while the Cardinals, who had four threes in the game, finished 6-for-15 on free throws.