Elk Mound girls remain undefeated with key D-SC Conference win over Colfax
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by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
ELK MOUND — When the Colfax girls entered the Elk Mound gym last Thursday night, January 5, both basketball teams were the only two undefeated teams in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference. The Vikings were 4-0 in conference play and 8-1 overall,
COLFAX’S Kaysen Goodell drove to the hoop for a shot but was closely guarded by Elk Mound’s Lauren Garnett. The Mounders won the January 5 contest 51-31 to remain unbeaten. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
while the Mounders had yet to lose a game in conference play or otherwise as they held a 9-0 record and 3-0 conference record. In a mid-season showdown, the Elk Mound girls dominated the game from start to finish and earned a 51-31 win to remain undefeated.
The Mounders have eight seniors on the roster who have never beaten the Vikings at the varsity level. In fact, the last time Elk Mound posted a win over Colfax was back on December 14, 2017, so it was safe to say this group of seniors, several with three years of varsity experience, were more than ready to take on the defending conference champions.
Elk Mound started with a 4-0 lead before Jeanette Hydukovich scored for the Vikings. Tori Blaskowski went on a five-point run for the Mounders on a pair of close range shots with a free throw in between to make it 9-2.
TOUGH SHOT — Colfax’s Aynsley Olson (#14) tried to get off a shot while being surrounded by a trio of Elk Mound defenders. Olson was fouled on the play. She finished with 10 points to lead the Lady Vikings in a 51-31 loss in Elk Mound on January 5. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Anysley Olson dropped in a free throw for Colfax but Chloe Dummer hit back-to-back shots in the paint for a 13-3 Mounder advantage. The Vikings struggled to hold on to the ball for most of the game with the Mounders using a pressure defense most of the time, and when they did get open shots, the ball wasn’t going into the basket. Olson managed to drop in a pair of free throws but a triple by Blaskowsi and a short range shot from Ellie Schiszik made it 18-5 for Elk Mound.
After two attempts from long range were off the mark, Hydukovich pulled down an offensive rebound and scored and the Mounders responded with treys from Brooke Emery and Schiszik, a deuce from Lydia Levra, and another bucket in the paint from Schiszik while Olson drained a triple for Colfax, putting the halftime score at 28-10 for Elk Mound.
MOUNDER Ellie Schiszik (#5) beat Colfax defender Molly Heidorn (#10) to the hoop and put in this layup for two points in the January 5 girls’ basketball showdown in Elk Mound. Schiszik finished with 12 points as her team won 51-31. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Elk Mound began the second half like they ended the first with a pair of three-point shots from Schiszik and Bkaskowski along with a layup by Levra. Hydukovich dropped in a short range shot for Colfax but the Elk Mound advantage was at 35-12.
McKenna Shipman, the Viking’s leading scorer, who had been held scoreless at this point with Blaskowski covering her like a blanket, hit a pair of free throws followed by Olson’s triple and free throw.
Jada Anderson drained a three pointer for the Vikings while Blaskowski and Stella Rhude each dropped in a deuce along with an Allie Roder free toss and a shot in the paint by Dummer for a 51-24 advantage. Jordyn Bowe canned a triple for Colfax, Kaysen Goodell scored on a put back and Sierra Shipman finished the Colfax scoring with a deuce.
Elk Mound coach Jordan Kongshaug believed the key to his team’s win was their defense.
“Tori did an excellent job guarding McKenna Shipman,” he said. “We did a good job with our effort and rotations on the press. Our girls were extremely motivated and I was very happy for them,” he added.
STOP AND POP — With a pair of Colfax defenders coming toward her, Elk Mound senior Tori Blaskowski (#23) pulled up in the lane and hit this short jump shot for two of her game-high 16 points to lead the Elk Mound girls to a 51-31 win over Colfax in a battle of Dunn-St. Croix unbeatens. This was the Lady Mounders first win over Colfax in five years. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Not only did Blaskowski play superb defense, she scored a game high 16 points which included a pair of triples and 2-of-4 free throws. She also picked up four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Schiszik added 12 points with a couple of treys, collected six rebounds, five assists and eight steals, Rhude scored seven points, Levra and Dummer both had six points and Emery had one shot from behind the arc. The Mounders were 4-of-10 at the free throw line and made just 5-of-18 three-point shots but their 21 steals made a big difference in the contest.
Olson led the Vikings with 10 points, including two triples and a 4-for-6 performance at the foul stripe. Hydukovich dropped in four shots from the paint with a free throw for nine points but no other Viking had more than three points. As a team, the Vikings were 7-for-13 in free throws with four triples.
Just 24 hours later, the Elk Mound girls were in Boyceville for a makeup contest which the Mounders won easily, 58-19, to improve to 5-0 in D-SC play and 11-0 overall.
Both Elk Mound and Colfax have a trio of games, including two conference games each, slated over the next week. The Mounders hosted upstart Spring Valley Tuesday, January 10, Elmwood/Plum City in Plum City this Friday, January 13 before hosting Stanley-Boyd in a non-conference tilt next Monday, January 16. Meanwhile, Colfax welcomed Elmwood/Plum City Tuesday, travels to winless Glenwood City this Friday and will take on Prairie Farm at home on Monday, January 16.