Slow start is costly
Mukwonago’s title bid falls short
ASHWAUBENON – The basket was oh-so unforgiving for Mukwonago.
The Indians’ girls basketball team suffered a drought of seismic proportions Saturday night and it cost it a shot at being competitive in the WIAA Division 1 state final with Appleton North.
The Classic 8 co-champion was on the wrong end of a 16-2 run to start the second half and fell behind by as many as 20 points in a 45-32 loss. The loss was the second in the final in three seasons for Mukwonago, which was the 2016 runner-up.
North, meanwhile, made a bit of history by becoming the first repeat champion in Division 1 since Milwaukee Vincent completed its string of three straight titles in 2009. The Lightning also got the last laugh on a division bracket that made it the No. 4 seed despite its status as a defending champion with four returning starters.
On Friday it defeated the other Classic 8 champion, Arrowhead, by 14 points. Saturday they never trailed.
UW-Milwaukee recruit Sydney Levy finished with 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lightning, which finished 24-4. Kari Brekke, a senior guard, added 11 points.
North led by as many as 11 points early, but its defense didn’t take hold until the second half. It came out of the break with a 16-2 run that turned what was a six-point game at the half into a lopsided finale to the season.
Levy had eight points during the run. Mukwonago, on the other hand, went scoreless for seven straight possessions, a run of about 6 minutes. By the time junior forward Natalie Andersen got a bucket with 10:53 to play the hole in which they’d fallen had become way too much to overcome.
Andersen finished with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds for Mukwonago, which finished 25-3. Kate Lopez, a junior guard, added eight points.
The first half was about surviving for Mukwonago.
The Indians were on the wrong end of a 10-0 run to open the game and trailed by as many as 11 points. They also dealt with Andersen’s foul trouble, first surviving a 4-minute stretch late in the first half when she was on the bench and then watching her avoid a third foul after she returned for the final 3:10 of the half.
Mukwonago’s 23-17 deficit could be considered a small victory in that regard. The key to cutting that gap was a burst of 13 points during a 3-minute period that turned a 13-2 deficit into a 15-13 deficit.
Andersen had seven points during that stretch and finished the half with a team-high seven points for Mukwonago.
Levy had nine for North at the half.