Cardinals close it out

ASHWAUBENON – It wasn’t pretty, but Bangor did the job.

The Cardinals defeated previously undefeated Black Hawk, 39-29, in the WIAA Division 5 state championship game at the Resch Center on Saturday. The title is the first for the school since 1997.

UW-Milwaukee recruit Emma Wittmershaus, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Jaclynn Freit, a senior forward, added five points and 15 rebounds. Alea Fortier, a senior guard, had seven points and four boards.

Their play helped Bangor overcome 28 turnovers and 37% shooting. The Cardinals, however, owned a 4235 edge on the boards and held Black Hawk to 19.4% shooting overall, including 3 for 31 from three-point range.

Bangor (26-3) closed the game with a 12-2 run. Senior guard Elizabeth Nicolai’s three-pointer was the only basket of that run. They were 9 for 19 from the line during those final 5 minutes 36 seconds.

Sophomore Hannah Butler and freshman Bailey Butler had eight points each for Black Hawk, which finished 28-1.

“We knew before the game we had a lot of heart, but this game was when we had to go out extra strong,” Freit said. “Before the game Coach asked how much heart do you guys have, and everyone just exploded that we have way more heart than we thought their team has. We just came out and played with all we had.”