RIB LAKE GIRLS BASKETBALL - Rib Lake girls fall just short in season opener highlighted by offense
RIB LAKE GIRLS BASKETBALL
The shooting was improved, the defense created some turnovers and transition baskets, just as Rib Lake was hoping for coming into the season, but the Columbus Catholic Dons made one more play and escaped with a 68-66 nonconference win over the host Redmen in Tuesday’s girls basketball opener.
After trailing by 12 early, Rib Lake battled back within four by halftime and erased an early eight-point deficit in the second half, taking a 53-52 lead on a Kiana Dallmann 3-pointer with 6:45 to play.
But the Dons, who did not play any seniors in the game, kept answering any big shot Rib Lake hit to stay in front from there and survived a tense finish with the Redmen for the second straight year to begin the season. Last year, Rib Lake cut a 34-point second-half deficit to one before falling 54-51.
In Tuesday’s game, Dallmann’s 3 capped a 19-10 surge that reversed a 42-34 Columbus lead, but the Dons’ Sophia Wilczek came right back with a triple, Chayse Blenker hit two free throws and the Dons beat Rib Lake’s press for a Katelyn Casperson layup and a 59-53 lead with 4:47 to go.
Out of a timeout, Tessa Weik hit a jumper from the right elbow for Rib Lake and Emma Tlusty scored off a steal. Madilyn Blomberg’s 3-pointer made it 6160 with 3:08 to go but Wilczek again had the big answer for Columbus with a 3-ball from the left corner.
Tahlia Scheithauer hit a long two-point shot for the Redmen and Addison Gumz hit a short jumper to pull them within 6564 with 1:46 left. Isabella Holz made one of two free throws to give Columbus a twopoint lead and, after a Rib Lake miss, Hailey Hargraves hit one of two free throws for a 67-64 Columbus lead with 39.5 ticks to go.
Hargraves got a steal but blew the layup and Gumz came back the other way for Rib Lake, hitting a tough left-handed layup with 19 seconds left. Blomberg’s steal gave Rib Lake a chance to win it and the Redmen got to the free throw line with 7.2 seconds left, but the shots didn’t drop and Hargraves’ free throw with 5.5 seconds left provided the final two-point margin.
Rib Lake head coach Austin Edwards said when the season started the Redmen put in a lot of time working on their shooting in the summer and it showed.
Avery Niemi opened the game by hitting a jumper and Gumz sank a 3pointer for a quick 5-0 lead. But Columbus Catholic beat Rib Lake’s zone defense with red-hot outside shooting of its own. Holz and Casperson each hit two 3s in the run that put the Dons up 22-10. Holz hit five 3s in the half as she and Wilczek both wound up leading Columbus with 16 points apiece.
But Rib Lake quickly cut into that deficit, continuing to get shots to fall and forcing turnovers while extending into some full-court defensive pressure. Blomberg’s 3 with four minutes left in the half made it 34-26. Scheithauer and Blomberg each made a free throw and Dallmann, who led Rib Lake with 16 points, hit a long two-point shot to make it 34-30. Emma Tlusty converted on a hard drive to the basket and she cut through the lane and scored off a Weik assist to pull Rib Lake within 36-34 before an Abigail Wojcik jumper with seven seconds left gave the Dons a 38-34 halftime edge.
Tlusty scored 13 points for Rib Lake and Gumz added 11. Blomberg nearly got to double figures with nine. Isabelle Gumz and Scheithauer scored six points apiece. Niemi ended with two and the Dons held Rib Lake’s main inside force, Weik, to just three, though she had eight rebounds.
Wojcik, Hargraves and Casperson added eight points apiece for Columbus Catholic.
Rib Lake had 17 turnovers compared to the Dons’ 24. Columbus shot 44% overall from the field while Rib Lake was at 41%. The Redmen were seven of 17 from 3point range (41%), while the Dons were 11 of 28 (39%). Columbus had a 43-24 edge in total rebounding.
