Eisenhower’s seniors making the difference Could it be West Bend West plays spoiler?
Thursday was a chance for New Berlin Eisenhower to honor Julia Hintz as well as an opportunity to turn the page.
The Lions senior became the school’s all-time leading scorer during a 20point, six-assist performance in a 59-35 victory over South Milwaukee in the Woodland Conference championship game. She finished the night with 1,338 points, 12 more than the previous record holder Nicole Bauman, a 2012 graduate who went on to play at Wisconsin.
The team, meanwhile, closed the books on the regular season and appear primed for another long postseason run.
Eisenhower (20-2) is 14-2 in the playoffs the past three years with a state championship in 2016 and a state runner-up finish last year.
As we close the regular season, Lions coach Gary Schmidt believes that experience will help.
“I think it starts with our seniors. I don’t like to put the pressure on them, but they’ve got stability,’ he said “They’ve been there before. We have seven of them. …They know what it’s like to get to that promised land.”
Of that bunch guard Gabby Majinski has made the biggest jump from last season to this one, going from 3.8 points per game last season to 10.3 this year. Others like Payton Fuerstenberg and Karissa Erenyi have been more of a presence on the boards.
They’ve provided a calming presence for a team that has some younger talent such as junior forward Erin Hedman, a Minnesota recruit.
Hintz might have more experience than all her fellow seniors combined. The one-time UW-Milwaukee recruit who signed with Cleveland State has played 102 games.
The school scoring record she broke is one that Schmidt wouldn’t be beat for some time. It lasted just seven years.
“I’m impressed with her work ethic,” Schmidt said. “When you do something like that, it doesn’t come along just because it comes along. She spends a lot of time in the gym and she’s a student of the game.”
Here are a couple more takeaways from the week:
Barring an upset by Cedarburg over Slinger, West (17-3, 14-3 North Shore) will not get a piece of the North Shore title this season. The Spartans, however, could continue to make it arguably the area’s most interesting race.
Wednesday they helped Whitefish Bay grab a share of the lead by defeating Slinger, 59-37, to avenge a 19-point loss to the Owls on Jan. 4.
Monday, however, the Spartans could knock Bay back into second place. The team’s play their regular-season finale Monday at West.
Hats off to Mukwonago
The team wrapped up an undefeated season in the Classic 8 on Thursday with a 67-36 victory over Oconomowoc. The key win, however, came Tuesday when Natalie Andersen and Grace Beyer finished with 20 and 14 points, respectively, in a 57-41 victory over Arrowhead.