‘Jays ready for playoffs
Team needs to take down state champs
By Casey Krautkramer
Athens varsity girls basketball coach Kyncaide Keefe doesn’t mind that the Bluejays are seeded No. 4 in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, despite having a 19-4 record this season.
Athens will likely play defending state champion Wisconsin Rapids Assumption in the regional championship.
“Who cares what playoff seed you get because you need to beat everyone to get that gold ball anyway,” Keefe said. “I just want to host as many games as we can, so in that sense maybe I’m a little disappointed in our seed, but regardless we need to beat Assumption and Wild Rose is a tough team too.”
Playoffs breakdown
Athens begins the playoffs this Tuesday, Feb. 22, with a regional quarterfinal home game against No. 13 seed Port Edwards. Should Athens win, then it would likely play No. 5 seed Spencer in a regional semifinal home game on Friday, Feb. 25. An anticipated No. 4 seed Athens at No. 1 seed Assumption regional final looms on Saturday, Feb. 26.
The Bluejays wouldn’t face either No. 2 seed Wild Rose or No. 3 seed Edgar until the Division 5 sectional semifinal. Edgar begins the playoffs this Tuesday, Feb. 22, with a regional quarterfinal home game against No.
14 seed Tigerton. Should Edgar win, then it would likely play No. 6 seed Gresham in a regional semifinal home game on Friday, Feb. 25. An anticipated Edgar at Wild Rose regional final looms on Saturday, Feb. 26.
Athens has won three straight games since losing two in a row to tough teams Assumption and Phillips. Athens’ four losses this season are to Assumption, Edgar and twice to Phillips.
The Bluejays lost big, 64-38, in a Feb. 3 road game to the Assumption Royals. Despite the loss, Athens junior guard Celina Ellenbecker believes her team can beat Assumption in the regional championship.
“We are feeling more confident we can beat Assumption the next time,” Celina Ellenbecker said. She is the daughter of Chad and Tanya (Bergmann) Ellenbecker. “We just need to break Assumption’s full-court press better this time and just stay more united as a team. We need to play the entire 36 minutes of the game, instead of just bits and pieces here and there. I feel our team has the athleticism to beat Assumption and now we just need to have the energy and confidence coming into the game.”
Athens committed more than twice as many turnovers as Assumption, 32 to 15, during their regular-season game. The Bluejays certainly need to take better care of the basketball if they want to defeat the Royals in the regional championship.
The Bluejays’ 1-3-1 zone has been on full display during the team’s recent three-game winning streak. Athens downed a solid Auburndale squad, 72-62, on Friday at home. Bluejays sophomore guard Addison Lavicka scored a game-high 34 points, while sophomore forward Sophia Coker added 13. Sophia Coker led Athens with 11 rebounds.
Athens made 21 of 36 free throws for 58 percent shooting against Auburndale. Lavicka converted 12 of 17 free throws, while Sophia Coker made seven of 11 free throws against the Eagles.
Bluejays sophomore forward Jazelle Hartwig played well at the top spot in the team’s 1-3-1 zone against the Pittsville Panthers on Monday at home. Hartwig constantly got her hands on Pittsville’s passes, often stealing them and scoring layups to help Athens down Pittsville, 58-30.
Hartwig led the Bluejays with 14 points against the Panthers and Lavicka added 14.
Coach Keefe said Athens has been playing more 1-3-1 zone this season because of her team’s length. She takes notes on how Marawood North Conference foe Phillips plays a successful 1-3-1 zone with star senior player Jada Eggebrecht at the top of the defense. Eggebrecht, a St. Cloud State recruit, recently scored her 2,000th career point against Wausau Newman.
“Playing the 1-3-1 zone defense allows us to close out on the other team’s three-point shooters and make them drive into the lane and try to finish against our big players McKennzie Schug and Sophia Coker,” Keefe said. “Sophia will get the defensive rebound and throw it ahead to Jazelle for a layup like what happened in our win against Pittsville. Jazelle is a tough player at the top of our 1-3-1 zone defense who keeps getting her hands on the basketball in the passing lanes.”
Bluejays down Tigers
Athens edged Stratford, 39-38, on Tuesday at home. Schug scored eight of her 10 points in the second half. Hartwig also scored 10 points while Lavicka added nine and Sophia Coker had eight.
Stratford sophomore Bailey Linzmaier led her team with nine points. Junior Lauren Kraus scored all seven of her points in the second half against Athens, while junior Ella Heidmann scored all seven of her points in the first half. Kraus led the Tigers with 11 rebounds.
Stratford won a 44-24 road game against Rib Lake on Thursday. Kraus led the Tigers with 16 points and junior Lexie Christopherson added nine.
The Tigers are a No. 6 seed in the WIAA Division 4 playoffs and will play No. 11 seed Necedah this Tuesday, Feb. 22, in a home regional quarterfinal. Should Stratford win, then it would play at No. 3 seed Iola-Scandinavia in a regional semifinal on Friday, Feb. 25.
Raiders fall to Pioneers
Marathon’s girls basketball team lost to a tough Westfield squad, 60-32, Tuesday on the road. Westfield has a 22-1 record this season and is ranked No. 3 in this week’s wissports.net Division 4 coaches poll. Westfield lost to La Crosse Aquinas in last year’s Division 3 state tournament semifinal.
The Red Raiders, who are 12-10 this season, received a No. 4 seed and firstround bye in the Division 4 playoffs. Marathon will likely play against No. 5 Wittenberg-Birnamwood on Friday, Feb. 25, in a regional quarterfinal home game. Should Marathon win, then it would have a likely rematch at No. 1 Westfield in the regional championship on Saturday, Feb. 26.
‘Cats stun the Hornets
Edgar’s girls basketball team easily beat Rosholt, 73-32, on the road Monday. Junior Reagan Borchardt led the Wildcats with 19 points against the Hornets while junior Leah Davis added 14. Edgar has a 16-7 overall record this season.
Boys basketball roundup
The Athens varsity boys basketball team lost to Iola-Scandinavia, 57-42, Monday on the road.
Junior center Aiden Janke was the lone Athens player to achieve doubledigit scoring with 19 points. The Thunderbirds held Athens leading scorer Cooper Diedrich to only six points.
Iola-Scandinavia has a 21-0 record this season and is ranked No. 3 in this week’s wissports.net Division 4 coaches poll. Athens falls to 16-6 this season.
Athens also lost to Auburndale, 55-52, on Thursday at home. Janke led the Bluejays with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Diedrich added 12 points and he paced the team with 10 assists and two steals.
The team’s loss against Auburndale, coupled with Chequamegon’s win against Edgar on Friday, means the Screaming Eagles are now only one game behind the Bluejays in the Marawood North Conference standings.
Athens has remaining conference games against Phillips this Friday, Feb. 18, at home and against Chequamegon on Thursday, Feb. 24, at home. Chequamegon plays at Prentice this Friday.
Edgar splits pair of games
The Edgar boys basketball team picked up a solid non-conference road win against Owen-Withee, 53-46, on Thursday.
Senior guard Everet Brehm led the Wildcats with 15 points and he tied with senior Ashton Schuett for the team lead with four steals each. Freshman Leyton Schuett added 13 points and Ashton Schuett had 11.
Edgar lost to Chequamegon, 59-54, Friday on the road. Sophomore Brett Baumgartner paced the Wildcats with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Ayden Weisenberger added 13. The Wildcats now have a 12-9 overall record this season.
Race for the South title
Marathon’s boys basketball team still has a one game lead over Stratford in the Marawood South Conference standings, with only a few games left in the regular-season.
Senior guard Jaden Koeller led Marathon with 19 points in the team’s 71-35 road win against Phillips on Friday. Koeller also paced Marathon with 22 points in the squad’s 65-56 road nonconference victory against Wittenberg- Birnamwood on Monday.
Stratford senior guard Camden Daul led the Tigers with 22 points and nine rebounds in Friday’s 81-38 road win against Rib Lake. Daul also paced Stratford with 22 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s 72-67 home nonconference loss to Colby.
Marathon has remaining conference games at Wausau Newman and at home against Assumption. Stratford still needs to play road games against Edgar and Wausau Newman.
TAMING THE PANTHERS- Athens senior Elizabeth Van Rixel, known as EVR for short on the Bluejay girls basketball team, attacks the Pittsville Panthers’ defense during Monday’s 58-30 home win.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
FORCE AT THE TOP OF THE ZONE- Athens sophomore Jazelle Hartwig uses her length to steal a Pittsville pass, while playing the top spot in the Bluejays’ 1-3-1 zone defense, to streak down the court for a layup on Monday.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
