Boyceville girls drop games to Amery and Spring Valley
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After winning four of its first five games to start the season, the Boyceville girls’ basketball team lost back-to-back games last week.
Playing a non-conference contest in Amery December 6, the Lady Bulldogs surrender seven triples in the first half and 11 total in a 65-40 loss to the Warriors. Three days later they returned home only to lose a 44-38 conference heartbreaker to Spring Valley.
The consecutive losses put Boyceville’s early season mark at 4-3 including an 0-2 record in Dunn-St. Croix Conference action.
The Bulldogs will have a pair of tough conference tests this week. They faced once-beaten and defending D-SC champion Colfax (5-1) on the road last evening (Tuesday, December 13) and then return home this Friday, December 16 to take on undefeated Elk Mound (7-0). Boyceville will close the 2022 portion of its schedule hosting Cadott next Thursday, December 22. Like the Elk Mound, Cadott is 7-0.
“Real tough schedule ahead of us before the break as the three teams we play are a combined 19-1,” said Jay Lagerstrom, Boyceville head coach.
Amery
The Warriors canned seven of their 11 three pointers in the first half to build a sizable 40 to 19 halftime lead over the Boyceville Bulldogs in a non-conference game played last Tuesday, December 6 in Amery.
Amery cruised to the 65-40 win.
“Amery shot really well from the perimeter and we didn’t get anything to drop from the outside,” stated Lagerstrom.
“We started the game down by 15 (points) and just couldn’t close the gap,” he added.
Grace Carlson scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the first half while teammates Mia Brotzel and Veronica Fox combined for five triples to give Amery a 21-point advantage at the half.
Sarah Stoveren went six-for-seven at the free throw line in the opening 18 minutes and scored a basket for eight of the Bulldogs’ 19, first-half points. She finished with 11.
The Warriors’ Alex Edwards, who did not score a point in the opening half, netted four treys and a pair of free throws in the second half to finish with 14 points, Luci Aizpurua tallied 11 and Fox finished with ten.
Senior Rachael Montgomery had the hot hand for the Bulldogs in the second half scoring 11 of her team-leading 15 points during that span.
While Amery hit on 11 of its 24 three-point attempts, it was just 2-for-16 from inside the arc. The Warriors finish 6-for-7 at the line.
Boyceville shot 13-for-47 which included 0-for-6 performance from the three-point line. It made 14 of its 21 foul shots. Although they were slightly out rebounded 35 to 30, the Bulldogs committed 19 turnovers in the game.
Spring Valley
After losing to Durand-Arkansaw the previous week, Boyceville was looking to even its conference record at 1-1 when Spring Valley played in the Dog House Friday, December 9.
Despite a five-point, 18-13, halftime lead, the Lady Bulldogs could not hold on to the advantage in the second half as they were outscored 31 to 20 over the course of the final 18 minutes.
Mara Ducklow went off in the second half scoring 16 of her game high 21 points to lead the Cardinals’ to a 44-38 come-from-behind victory.
“Tough one to lose,” said Lagerstrom. “We played a great first half of defense but lost our focus on Ducklow in the second half, once she hit some shots, she got her confidence and caused us problems.”
The Bulldogs, who were a bit shorthanded due to an injury to Sarah Stoveren, were led offensively by senior post player Rachael Montgomery and junior forward Hannah Dunn. Montgomery finished with a team high 17 points – eight in the first and nine in the second half – and Dunn tallied ten points, five in each half.
Boyceville shot just under 30 percent in the contest hitting on just 14 of 51 shots which include only two treys in 14 attempts. The Bulldogs made 6 of their 10 foul shots.