WIAA DIV. 5 GIRLS BASKETBALL - Washburn win puts Gilman in final, where shots don’t drop

WIAA DIV. 5 GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Gilman Pirates’ WIAA Division 5 girls basketball tournament run was ended for the second straight year by Owen-Withee, who used a 21-4 run over the last 13:23 of the first half to build a comfortable lead and cruise to a 47-25 win in Saturday’s regional final.

The one-seed in the sectional halfbracket, the 23-4 Blackhawks earned their third win of the season over their Eastern Cloverbelt Conference neighbors. They’ve won six straight games now in the rivalry dating back to last year.

Saturday’s win was sparked by Kendall Weiler’s inside dominance. The senior scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the first half to help the Blackhawks build a 29-10 halftime lead. Defense has also been a strength of Owen-Withee’s the past two years under head coach Josh Jalling and the Pirates were unable to crack their man-to-man, making only five shots from the field on 33 shots overall, which obviously won’t cut it in a regional final setting.

Fifth-seeded Gilman got 60% of its offense from the free throw line, making 15 of 27. The Pirates ended their year at 13-13 overall.

Owen-Withee advanced to a sectional semifinal against sixth-seeded Rib Lake (16-10), which will be played tonight, Thursday, in Prentice at 7 p.m.

“They have a nice, strong team,” Gilman head coach Tammy Weir said. “They really have had a very solid season, so I wish them all the best. We didn’t get many shots off. Their defense was great, but we didn’t have too many turnovers either. We took care of the ball. We just couldn’t get the ball to fall.”

Allie Olynick gave Gilman some early hope, scoring all five of her points in a 90second span to keep the Pirates within 8-6. She got enough room in the lane to flip up a left-handed shot that gave her a hoop and harm at the 14:53 mark to make it 6-4. At 13:23, she made a quick move past Weiler and got another three-point opportunity from the left side. This free throw missed, keeping it a two-point game.

From there, Gilman’s offense went silent. The Pirates’ defense was actually solid, but the Blackhawks got a couple of key offensive rebounds and were able to slowly and steadily pull away while Gilman couldn’t find the range.

Weiler scored twice and Kayla Rasmussen hit a 3-pointer during a 9-0 run that covered a little more than five minutes and made it 17-6. Kayleigh James hit a long two-point for Gilman at the 8:12 mark that would be the Pirates’ last field goal of the half. Kendall Mueller and Ellie Petersen got rebound baskets, Weiler scored off a Madi Mueller assist and Addie Hatlestad knocked down a 3-pointer as part of a 12-0 run that made it 29-8 before Averie Olynick finally got Gilman to double digits with two free throws with 13.6 seconds left in the half.

Reece Weir scored four points in the three minutes of the second half to get Gilman within 31-14, but Petersen scored twice and Weiler made two free throws to push the lead to 23 and the Pirates didn’t threaten the Blackhawks after that.

Weir scored all seven of her points in the second half. James finished with five and Claire Drier had a point as the senior leaders of the team ended their varsity basketball careers. Averie Olynick finished with four points, and Raygen Soper hit three of four free throws. Weir had five rebounds, Allie Olynick had four and James, Soper and Averie Olynick had three each. James had three steals and Weir had two assists.

Gilman won the turnover battle 13-12 and rebounds were even at 21.

Madi Mueller, Petersen and Geneva Capetillo scored six points apiece for Owen-Withee, who would play either Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran (15-11) or Solon Springs (21-3) in Saturday’s sectional final if it wins tonight.

Gilman loses four seniors in all with Patty Kloss and Paige Daley joining James and Drier. The Pirates could bring back six players who logged plenty of minutes in Gilman’s regular rotation and they’re high on the current freshman class, which will get more opportunities next season.

“I am already anxiously awaiting November,” coach Weir said.

Gilman 43, Washburn 40

The Pirates got to Saturday’s regional final by escaping Washburn Friday with a 43-40 regional semifinal win.

Reece Weir hit two key baskets late to break a 37-37 tie and the Pirates survived some missed free throws and anxious moments down the stretch to get out of town with the win and make another long bus ride deep into Northern Lights Conference territory worth it. Gilman won tournament games last year at South Shore and Hurley.

This one had a helter-skelter feel to it, especially in the first half when neither team could seemingly stop turning the ball over and missing shots.

Just over 11 minutes in, Gilman forged an 8-6 lead over the fourth-seeded Castle Guards when the Pirates broke Washburn’s press and got a Norah Noonan score off a Drier assist. It was 8-8 when Drier got a steal and scored with under four minutes to play in the half. Allie Olynick’s basket tied it at 12-12, but Washburn finished the half with two free throws from Lehney Paulson with 57 seconds left and Ana Doucette’s bank shot at the buzzer to go up 16-12.

“We shot very poorly in the first half,” Tammy Weir said. “We started out with 10 turnovers in the first few minutes and gave them lots of opportunities to score. In the second half, we took control and played good, steady offense and good hard defense.”

The Pirates nearly doubled their firsthalf offensive output in the first two minutes of the second half. Drier saved the ball after getting a shot blocked and the ball eventually found James for the first basket of the half. Allie Olynick scored twice and Weir scored off an inbound play to give Gilman a 20-16 lead. Addy Vick’s 3pointer put Gilman up 23-20. A James steal and score, plus two free throws from Weir gave Gilman a 27-25 lead with 11:44 left.

The Pirates opened up a 35-30 lead with just under seven minutes left, following a Drier steal that led to a James basket.

A 3-pointer from Maddie Ludwig and two Washburn scores off turnovers tied it with 3:46 left. Weir broke that tie, stepping through two defenders and hitting a short shot with 3:28 left. Her 3pointer with 1:47 to go gave Gilman a 4237 edge.

The Castle Guards whittled that lead to 42-40 with two bonus free throws from Gemma Sandor with 40.4 seconds left. James missed a bonus throw but Washburn turned the ball over with 15.6 seconds left. Averie Olynick made one of two free throws with 12.2 seconds to go. Allie Olynick rebounded the miss. Out of a timeout with 9.1 seconds left, Washburn (16-9), for some reason, did not foul the Pirates, who ran out the clock.

Weir’s 13 points paced the Pirates, while James had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double and Allie Olynick added eight points and eight rebounds. Drier scored four points and had 10 rebounds. Vick and Averie Olynick had three points each and Noonan finished with two. James added seven steals, while Drier had five. Drier had four assists. Vick and Weir had four rebounds each. Averie Olynick had three.

Gilman outrebounded Washburn 45-25 but had 24 turnovers. Washburn turned it over 26 times. The Pirates won despite making just two of 25 3-point tries and five of 21 free throws.

Doucette and Ludwig led the Castle Guards with 15 points apiece.

Gilman’s Allie Olynick attacks in the paint area and scores early in Saturday’s WIAA Division 5 regional final at Owen-Withee. Blackhawks Ellie Petersen (21) and Kendall Weiler are unable to stop Olynick from scoring. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS