Bulldog girls escape with win over Eagles, fall to Buffaloes in final contest of regular season
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BOYCEVILLE — Going into the final two games of its regular season, both which were on its home court, the Boyceville girls’ basketball team was searching for wins and momentum as they prepared to head into the WIAA playoffs which began this week.
After splitting those games, the Bulldogs earned a bit of both.
Boyceville overcame a 15-point halftime deficit against Alma/Pepin in a non-conference contest played in the Dog House last Monday, February 13 to pull out a 57-56 overtime win over the Eagles.
Hosting Mondovi in the Dunn-St. Croix and regular season finale on Thursday, February 16, the Bulldogs were able to stay with the Buffaloes for much of the first half but did not quite have enough to finish off the game, losing 64-43 which was an improvement over the 65-27 loss they suffered a month earlier in Mondovi.
The split gave the Bulldogs an 8-15 record as it finished 3-11 in conference play.
Boyceville opened last night’s (February 21) Division 4 playoffs hosting Chetek-Weyerhaeuser in a regional quarterfinal game. A win would send the Bulldogs to top-seeded Phillips for a regional semifinal this Friday, February 24. The regional championship is slated for the following day, Saturday, February 25.
Pepin/Alma
Things did not begin well for Boyceville when it welcomed Pepin/Alma to the Dog House last Monday, February 13 for a non-conference clash.
The Bulldogs had a painfully slow start and trailed the Eagles 33-18 at the intermission.
Fortunately, Boyceville was able to flip that script in the second half, outscoring Pepin/Alma 32-17 to knot the score at 50 all by the end of regulation time.
In the overtime period, the Bulldogs nipped the Eagles 7 to 6 to claim a 57-56 win.
Senior Rachael Montgomery proved to be a force inside the paint, especially in the second half, as she hit 8 of her 13 field goals and finished 5-for-8 at the free throw line to lead Boyceville with 21 points. She also shared the team lead in rebounds with 10. Junior Hannah Dunn also had a hot-hand hitting both of her three-point shots along with 7 of her 9 free throw attempts to finish with 17 points. Dunn also picked up ten boards to match Montgomery and dished out 9 assists. Senior Abby Schlough put down a pair of triples to finish with 10 points.
Mondovi
A month ago, Boyceville found itself trailing 29 to 9 at half when it played in Mondovi.
When the Buffaloes came to Boyceville for the rematch last Thursday, the Bulldogs showed their resilience and determination as they kept the contest, the final one of the regular season, close at half, trailing just 33-24.
Unfortunately, Boyceville could get no closer as Mondovi won the second-half offensive battle 31 to 19 and subsequently the game, 64-43.
Dunn and Montgomery once again led the Bulldogs’ scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Hailey Hanestad and Sarah Stoveren each added six points
But, it was not enough to overcome a 26-point performance by Mondovi’s leading scorer Ava Gray who finished 8-for-16 including 2-of-4 from three-point land and 8-for-12 at the free throw line. Coupled with a 14-point effort by Maddy Marten which included three treys, Mondovi proved too much for Boyceville.
Both teams took several shots from the charity stripe with the Bulldogs holding an advantage after making 17-of-25 compared to 12-of-23 by the Buffaloes.
Conversely, Mondovi doubled up Boyceville from behind the three-point arc sinking eight compared to four by the Bulldogs.