Riek clutch in Bulldogs OT win in Glenwood City

By Cara L. Dempski

GLENWOOD CITY — When the pressure is on and a play or score is needed, teams turn to their best players.

That is just what the Boyceville girls basketball team did when it found themselves knotted with rival Glenwood City in overtime last Tuesday.

It put the ball in the hands of its best, most clutch player – Madysn Riek. And the senior proved to be money as she paid dividends, hitting the go-ahead and eventually game winner with less than 11 seconds to play and then iced the contest with a pair of free throws with just one and a half ticks left on the OT clock for a 4-point Lady Bulldogs’ victory. 

But for some people, a miss is as good as a mile, not for Glenwood City girls’ basketball coach Dean Fayerweather, the loss to Boyceville last week was still a win.

“This was the best game the ladies have played all season,” Fayerweather said. “They left it all on the court in front of their parents on Parents’ Night.”

Boyceville’s head coach had a different view of the Bulldogs’ narrow 46-42 overtime win at Glenwood City February 7.

“We were fortunate and relieved to come out with a win,” Jolene Bird said. “I thought our team played unsettled both offensively and defensively the entire game. We were never able to just get in a flow and play with patience and calmness.”

Bird added the Boyceville squad suffered from some three-point shooting woes, while Fayerweather said he would have liked the Lady Hilltoppers to have made more free throws.

Glenwood City picked up an early 8-4 lead and built it up to 12-6 before the Bulldogs cut into the Hilltoppers’ lead, making the score 14-11. Boyceville then took over with a 17-16 lead, their first of the game, with 5:31 left in the opening half. Glenwood City pulled itself back into the game, tying the game at 21 when both teams took a break before the second half.

The Bulldogs scored the first two baskets of the second half to earn a 25-21 lead by 15:01, but then the Hilltoppers pulled within one at both 25-24 and 27-26, but tied the game again on a charity shot for a tie at 27 points.

Hilltopper junior Jenesa Klinger dropped in an outside shot for three at the 11:38 mark, giving Glenwood City a 30-27 lead, but then Boyceville went ahead again 31-30. Klinger nailed another three to lift the Toppers to 33-31 at 7:36. The Bulldogs then moved to 35-33 before the Toppers tied things once more at 35.

Boyceville dropped in a bucket with 3:53 to go to lead again, 37-35, but Glenwood City tied things up all over again at 2:07, making the game 37 all. The Bulldogs missed a long shot as the final second ticked off the clock, forcing the game into overtime.

Glenwood’s Mariah Voeltz hit a shot and was fouled early in the overtime period, but missed her charity throw. Glenwood took a 39-37 lead, then tied at 39 and 41. Glenwood City and Boyceville players both hit free shots to level the score at 42 with 27.6 seconds left in OT, when the ball wound up in the hands of Bulldog Madysn Riek.

She hit a tough baseline jumper with two Lady Hilltoppers in her face with 10.6 to lift Boyceville to a 44-42 lead. The Toppers took a time out at 8.8 seconds, and Voeltz took the ball down the court when play resumed. She lost control of the ball, and Riek was the first player to grab it.

The Bulldog senior was fouled with 1.5 seconds left and canned both free throws for a final score 46-42 and a W for the Boyceville squad.

Glenwood City hit only one of six charity throws in OT and missed a couple breakaway buckets; they were only five for 15 from the line over the whole game. In contrast, Boyceville was five for seven from the line.

Riek made a great case for her status as one of the Dunn-St. Croix’s top female players this season after she reeled in 20 points. The senior dropped in seven field goals and was six for six from the line to earn the game’s highest individual score. Glenwood City’s Klinger earned the second highest score in the game with 15 points. She recorded three field goals and a trio of three-pointers.

Cassie Malean contributed another 12 points to the Bulldogs’ final, while Brooklyn Booth, Morgan Kuhn and Emma Harnisch each recorded four points. Rachel Prestrud picked up two points.

Voeltz chalked up 10 points for the Hilltoppers, Delaney Quinn added eight, Hanna Strehlo picked up four, Becca Moll was good for three, and Briana Barstad earned two.

The Bulldogs finished their week with a home game against Mondovi on February 10, while the Hilltoppers traveled to Colfax that evening.

BOYCEVILLE 46, GLENWOOD CITY 42
Boyceville……………………..21  16  9 — 46
Glenwood City……………….21  16  5 — 42

TEAM STATISTICS (FG-FT-F-T)

Boyceville (19-8-17-46) R. Prestrud 1-0-4-2, B. Booth 2-0-1-4, C. Malean 5-2-2-12, M. Kuhn 2-0-3-4, M. Riek 7-6-1-20, E. Harnisch 2-0-4-4, B. Hellmann 0-0-2-0.

Glenwood City (14-5-15-42) J. Klinger 3-0-3-15, M. Voeltz 5-0-3-10, D. Quinn 2-4-1-8, H. Strehlo 2-0-3-4, B. Barstad 1-0-1-2, B. Moll 1-1-3-3, C. Lawson 0-0-1-0.

THREE-POINTERS GC — J. Klinger 3.