Glenwood City girls hold off Boyceville to earn second D-SC Conference win

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GLENWOOD CITY — Both the Hilltoppers and Bulldogs entered last Thursday’s girls’ basketball contest in Glenwood City fresh off home non-conference victories two days prior and were gunning for their second Dunn-St. Croix Conference win of the season.

While neither squad played particularly well with the two rivals missing several shots from both the field and charity stripe and committing a combined 41 fouls – 19 by the Bulldogs and 22 for the Hilltoppers, the contest proved to be both entertaining and extremely tight from the opening tip to the final horn.

In fact, Boyceville had an opportunity to send the game into overtime when senior Sarah Stoveren was fouled as time expired. Stoveren, who had given the Bulldogs a 38-36 lead with her fourth three pointer of the game just a few minutes earlier, stepped to the free throw line for a double bonus opportunity with the clock at triple zeros. Two makes and the Bulldogs would force an extra period. But, Stoveren’s only free throw attempt in the game missed its mark, bounced off the rim and fell to the floor giving the Hilltoppers, who had two starters foul out in the wanning minutes, a 41-39 senior night victory in the January 4 contest.

The win was Glenwood City’s third straight, a feat the program hadn’t achieved since the 2015-16  season, and its second conference win.

“I feel that the chemistry between our team is coming together better than it has all season, which is playing into the two-game winning streak that we were on before this game,” said Kirsten Konder, Glenwood City head coach.

Glenwood City’s work on the boards throughout the contest paid dividends as the Hilltoppers finished with a 44 to 23 advantage in rebounds including a lopsided 17 to 5 edge on the offensive end.

Boyceville was further disadvantaged when it lost leading scorer, senior Hannah Dunn, who went down with an ankle injury in the opening minute of action and never returned to the game.

“Tough game, we really didn’t respond offensively after Hannah went out early with the injury, taking our leading scorer and point guard out just really kept us out of any offensive flow at all,” said Boyceville head coach Jay Lagerstrom.

“Credit to the GC girls as they really took it to us on the boards and most the damage was on the offensive boards,” continued Lagerstrom.

And a 6-for-20 performance at the free throw line compounded the Bulldogs’ woes.

“Poor free throwing shooting hurt us as well,” added Lagerstrom. “We outscored them from the field but just can’t leave that many free throws off the board. But, I don’t want to take away anything from the GC girls’ effort as they worked hard, and outplayed us physically.”

The Toppers took an early 4-1 lead before Stoveren knotted the game with the first of her four treys at 14:26.

A minute later another Stoveren three pointer gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 7-4.

Freshman Aubrey Malean extended the visitors lead to five points with a score from inside the lane.

Boyceville maintained that advantage until Glenwood City freshman Tori Ohman rebounded her own miss, put it through the hoop and was fouled by Jadynn Traxler. Ohman made the free throw to complete the three-point play and knot the score at 11 all with 7:59 remaining in the first half.

Stoveren, however, responded almost immediately by swishing her third three pointer to put the Bulldogs back in front 14-11.

Malean’s slashing drive to the bucket for two points gave Boyceville its largest lead of the game at 16-11.

An Izzy Davis put back and two freebies by the Hilltoppers’ lone senior, Libby Wagner, who was honored before the game, pulled Glenwood City to within a single point at 15-16 with just over three minutes left in the half.

Zoey Hellendrung made one of two free throws to push the Bulldog advantage back to two points only to have Wagner sink a basket in the final seconds to send the game to intermission deadlocked at 17.

Glenwood City would take its largest lead of the game early in the second half when Wagner made her team’s only three-point shot of the evening for a 23-19 advantage.

The Bulldogs, however, scored on consecutive offensive trips to pull even at the 13-minute mark.

Malean hit a shot from behind the three-point arc to put the Bulldogs back on top, 26-23.

Davis made two free throws to get the Toppers within one only to have Chelsi Holden sink a pair of her own free tosses to put the Bulldogs’ lead back to three at the midway point of the second half.

The two combatants continued to exchange points but the Bulldogs were able to maintain their slim lead until Ohman got the ball under the hoop and put it off the glass to tie the game at 33 with 3:21 to play.

Malean went coast-to-coast for the lay-in and a two-point Bulldog lead.

Glenwood City would finally retake the lead when Davis completed a three-point play for a 36-35 Toppers’ lead with 2:45 on the clock.

Stoveren, who had been quiet for much of the second half, followed with her fourth and final triple to put Boyceville back in front, 38-36.

A half minute later, Jenna McCarthy knotted the score with a pair of free throws.

Holden would make one of two freebies after being fouled by Ohman for a 39-38 Bulldog advantage.

With just under a minute to play, Ohman hit one of two free tosses to bring the Hilltoppers back to even.

With 48.2 seconds left, Hellendrung had a chance to put the Bulldogs back in the lead when she was fouled by Wagner, who joined teammate Opal Voeltz on the bench with her fifth infraction of the game. Both foul shots on Hellendrung’s double bonus tray missed their mark and the game remained knotted at 38 all.

Glenwood City worked its offensive set and eventually found Ohman underneath the basket and the freshman made the hoop as the host Hilltoppers took a 41-39 lead.

Following a Boyceville timeout with 17.7 seconds, the Bulldogs missed the shot and Davis rebounded for the Toppers and drew the foul. With Glenwood City also in the double bonus, Davis was awarded two foul shots with 6.7 seconds on the clock.  

The Glenwood City post player had been perfect at the line up to that point, but Davis missed both tries. Boyceville pulled down the rebound following the second miss and got the basketball to Stoveren who weaved her way down court before being fouled by McCarthy as the final horn sounded. 

Stoveren had a chance to knot the game with two free throws and force overtime, but when her first attempt missed the mark, the game ended giving Glenwood City the 41-39 victory.

Tori Ohman led the Toppers in victory with game-high 17 points while Izzy Davis and Libby Wagner chipped in for 11 and nine, respectively.

Stoveren, behind a quartet of threes, was Boyceville’s top scorer with a dozen points. Aubrey Malean also finished in double digits with 11 and Cora Leslie scored eight.

Boyceville finished with a five to one advantage in three pointers, but its 6-for-20 finish at the line hurt it. Glenwood City was 10-for-20 on free throws.

The Hilltoppers improved to 2-3 in conference and 4-10 overall while the Bulldogs fell to 1-4 and 6-7.