Eisenhower falls to Reedsburg in D2 semifinals
LA CROSSE – There was really no sign the wheels were about to fall off.
Nikki Dienberg sank two free throws two minutes into the second half to give New Berlin Eisenhower a six-point lead, its second-largest of the day. The points represented the Lions' second score in three possessions to open the half, a strong start for a team that led by four points at the break.
The reality was that the moment marked the beginning of the end for the Woodland West co-champion.
Unable to recover from the 41⁄2-minute scoring drought that followed or the 13-minute second-half stretch it went without a basket, No. 2 seed Eisenhower suffered a 67-48 loss to No. 3 seed Reedsburg in the Division 2 semifinals of the WIAA state girls basketball tournament at La Crosse Center.
The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the Lions, who finished 24-5.
“It's a tale of two halves not just from how the game went but from our performance, our execution and our shooting,” Eisenhower coach Andy Monfre said.
“Execution and shooting is the name of the game when you're at this level playing against good teams. No teams are going to bail you out and make mistakes.”
Eisenhower was held to 18.2% shooting (4 for 22) in the second half and missed all 9 three-point attempts. Its eight turnovers during that stretch led to 14 Reedsburg points.
Senior guard Cameron Hoffman led Eisenhower with 16 points, but all came in the first half. Dienberg, a senior guard, finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Kylie Lemberger, a senior guard, added eight points but like Hoffman didn't score in the second half.
For the Beavers, the performance was even more impressive considering two of the baskets they allowed came during the final two minutes when the game was all but decided.
“The second half was definitely more of our game as far as defensively holding them to right around 13 points,” Reedsburg coach Mark Simon said. “Just keeping them in front defensively and not fouling on drives and also getting out to those shooters. We really hung our hats on defense in the second half.”
Junior guard/forward Mahra Wieman led the Beavers with 22 points and eight rebounds. Sydney Cherney, a freshman guard/forward, added 20 points, going 12 for 14 from the freethrow line.
The victory was the 14th straight for Reedsburg before it lost to top seed Green Bay Notre Dame, 68-56, in the final later Saturday.
Eisenhower had is 11-game winning streak ended. The loss capped a season in which the Lions won a share of the Woodland West title with Pewaukee, survived a loaded regional and emerged from a sectional that included Pius XI, which beat it previously this season.
Eisenhower looked strong in the first half when it led by as many as seven points. Hoffman, who entered play averaging 9.3 points, had the hot hand, scoring 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Lemberger, meanwhile, made the most of her five shots, sinking three for eight points.
Their offense helped compensate for the foul trouble that sidelined Dienberg, the team's leading scorer, for about a 4minute stretch of the first half. The Woodland West player of the year had just five points on five shots in the first half but opened the second half with a bucket on the second possession and then drew a foul the next time down the floor and went to the free throw line.
The Lions' prospects were so promising at that point. The rest of their 2021 state appearance wasn't so pretty.
“We didn't get the exact result that we wanted, but I couldn't be happier with the overall experience,” Hoffman said. “Not a lot of teams get to make it here. We had to beat a lot of amazing teams to get this far.”
Championship
Green Bay Notre Dame 68, Reedsburg 56: The top-seeded Tritons (28-1) used a 15-3 run in the middle of the second half to take the lead for good and then pulled away for the their second title in eight years.
Senior guard Georgia Gregoire scored 17 points and senior forward Sammy Opichka added 10 points and eight rebounds for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame reached the final with a 64-42 victory over Onalaska in the first semifinal.
Division 4 (Friday)
Mishicot 70 Mineral Point 55: Kylie Schmidt finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds and hit a free throw with 3 seconds left that sealed the win.