Hornets start strong in first games on the road

By Ginna Young

Cadott’s girls program put up two impressive wins on the road, to open the basketball season.

Nov. 14 vs. Eleva-Strum (W 47-29)

Marking the beginning of the basketball season, the Cadott girls team hit the road to Eleva-Strum, where the Hornets started strong, but got down before halftime. Trailing by five points going into the second part of the game, Cadott came out hot.

“The girls were working on making adjustments during the game, things that we practiced,” said coach Dave Hazuga. “We knew we needed to rebound hard and we did...we played a balanced game, everybody got involved.”

Eleva-Strum didn’t stand a chance against that onslaught, as Cadott held their non-conference opponents to just three points in the second half, for a 47-29 victory.

“It was a good first game for us,” said Hazuga. Leading for the Hornets, was senior Emma Kowalczyk, with a trio of three-pointers, for 11 points, followed by junior Tarynn Donahue, who knocked down three shots from beyond the arc, for 9 points. Sophomore Kennedy Nerdrum also came away with 9 points, while junior Kasey Moldrem had 6 points.

Sophomore Taylor Hager put up 5 points on the night, with sophomore Lilly Spaeth adding two points, and senior Bradee Burish and sophomore Danielle Sikora chipping in with 2 points each.

“I thought they did a pretty good job, for just a week of practice,” said Hazuga.

Nov. 16 vs. Prairie Farm (W 52-50)

A couple days later, the Hornets were off to Prairie Farm, to face a tough Panthers team.

“We got off to a good start, it was a fast-paced game, both teams were pushing the pace,” said Hazuga.

Although Cadott rushed out to a large lead in the first half of the game, taking a 35-20 advantage into the break, the Panthers weren’t going down without a fight. Prairie Farm battled back to within just two points, but the Hornets clung to their lead, for a 52-50 non-conference win.

Kowalczyk again led, with 17, while Moldrem was right behind her, with 12. Hager finished the night with 6, while Donahue had 5, and Sikora and Nerdrum each contributed 4 points. Burish and Spaeth rounded out the scoring, with 2 points each.

“In the first half, we were getting good looks and we were making shots,” said Hazuga. “Second half, our defense had too many breakdowns, but we were able to hang on and close out a nice finish.”