Hornets see their first playoff win in 19 years

The Cadott girls basketball squad saw an exciting start to the playoffs, taking on Whitehall before facing off against Neillsville.

Feb. 25 vs. Whitehall Regional (W 59-40)

For the first time in 19 years, the Cadott girls basketball program came away with a playoff win, as the No. 7 seeded Hornets hosted No. 10 Whitehall in Regional action.

“The starters got us off to a great start,” said coach Dave Hazuga. “The Eiler sisters (Abby and Elly) controlled the ball and ran the offense great. Our defense set the tone and made points for them tough to come by.”

Cadott went into halftime up by 15 and while the score was closer in the second half, it was the Hornets who prevailed for a 59-40 victory to advance to the second round of Regionals.

“They made a little run in the start of [the] second half, but we responded,” said Hazuga. “It’s obviously been a long drought of not doing well in the playoffs; it’s nice that this team [could] accomplish that.”

Junior Jada Kowalczyk led all scorers, with 25 points, followed by the freshman E. Eiler, who notched a three-point shot and finished with 9 points. Junior Meadow Barone and freshman Lauryn Goettl came next, with 5 points each.

Seniors A. Eiler and Autumn Bremness each nailed a three, ending with 4 points each, while junior Hailey Wellner added 3 points to the mix. Junior McKenzie Prokupek and sophomore Olivia Goodman rounded things out with 2 points each.

“I am happy for all the players, obviously the seniors, that have put in the dedication and time, and worked hard to build up our team,” said Hazuga. “They played with a great sense of belief, they work together and everyone plays their role.”

Feb. 28 vs. Neillsville Second Round Regional (L 50-25) Moving onto the second round of Regionals, Cadott hit the road, going up against No. 2 seeded Neillsville. Cadott fell behind early on and went into halftime, trailing by 19 points.

“Shots didn’t go early for us and we got down by halftime,” said Hazuga. “We definitely played better in the second half, and showed great fight and great teamwork.”

The scoring was more even in the second half, but with the large deficit, time ran out on the Hornets’ season and Cadott saw the game go Neillsville’s way, 50-25.

“The girls showed up to play hard against the strongest team we played all year,” said Hazuga.

Kowalczyk tallied 8 points in the match, while E. Eiler knocked down two shots from beyond the arc for 6 points. Barone also added 6 points and Prokupek notched a three. Senior Paisley Kane rounded out the scoring column with 2 points.

Although the outcome wasn’t what the Hornets wanted to see, they take away the program’s best record in 20 years. Cadott finishes their season with a 13-11 record and 6-8 in the West Cloverbelt Conference.