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Coach Mitch Wainwright witnessed the improvement he has been looking for from his Mineral Point girls basketball squad - on back to back nights late last week in Blanchardville.
The Pointers got past Pecatonica 57-43 Wednesday night during the preliminary round of the Pecatonica Holiday Tournament - and came back the following night to edge the River Ridge Timberwolves 33-32 for the 2011 tournament title.
The Pointers received a championship plaque for their efforts - and team members Hannah Lawinger and Emily Mitchell were both named to the 2011 All Tournament Team - along with host school Pecatonica's Michelle Francois - and with River Ridge's Angie Breuer and Traci Kirschbaum.
Lawinger, a senior playmaker, was the "go to girl" for the Pointers time and time again in the second half Thursday. She followed up a 15 point performance Wednesday night - with a key contribution of 17 more points during the championship game.
In what was somewhat of a strange conclusion to the game, Mineral Point took a 33-24 lead with 5:42 remaining in the fourth period Thursday on two free throws from Cassidy Ottoway. Ironically, the Pointers were shut out the remainder of the game but by playing tough defense, hung on for the one-point win.
River Ridge's Breuer banked in a three pointer with four seconds remaining - but coach Caron Townsend's team could not get the ball back before time expired.
Kirschbaum's 15 points paced the Wolves in the championship battle.
Wainwright was pleased with the outcome, saying that his team has shown improvement during the past two weeks.
"We played good first-half defense tonight, beginning with a man to man, but we struggled to pick up and to stop their big girl (Kirschbaum) inside. We switched to a zone and from there on were able to limit the number of touches that she had and we stayed with that zone in the second half. I think that made all the difference in the world. Our girls played excellent team defense tonight and everyone on the floor rotated well and we got some good help and tips. Yes, we could have hit a couple of free throws late in the game - to make life easier and perhaps we should have taken better care of the basketball, but we did what we had to do to come away with a win and it was our defense, that at the end of the day, made the difference. Lots of players contributed tonight and at times, we were substituting four girls at a switch. They've been gaining confidence, have been playing more aggressively of late and we're pretty excited about getting these back-to-back victories," added Wainwright.
The key portion of the game occurred late in the third period when the Pointers and Wolves were tied at 19-19, but at which time (3:50/3rd quarter) Mineral Point launched into what would be a 14-5 run. Lawinger scored three baskets during the flurry, Caitlyn Qualley knocked down a 12 foot jumper in the lane, Lauren Graber scored on a lefthanded lay-up and Ottoway's free throws closed the run.
Mineral Point 33 River Ridge 32
Mineral Point 8 7 13 5
River Ridge 9 8 4 11
Mineral Point (fg-ft-tp) Hannah Lawinger 6-2-17, Carrie Graber 1-0-2, Caitlyn Qualley 2-1-6, Emily Mitchell 2-0-4, Lauren Graber 1-0-2, Cassidy Ottoway 0-2-2. Three-pointers: Lawinger 3, Qualley. Team Totals 12 5-10 33. Total fouls 8.
River Ridge - Sabrina White 2-0-4, Megan Herrick 3-0-7, Angie Breuer 2-0-6, Traci Kirschbaum 5-3-15. Three-pointers: Herrick, Breuer 2, Kirschbaum 2. Totals 12 3-8 32. Total fouls. 14.
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Third place game
Pecatonica finally notched a "W" Thursday night in the tournament's third place game when they defeated Weston High School 50-20 in a consolation game blow-out.
First year Pec girls' varsity coach Matt Bakkum was pleased to see his team get the win after being oh-so-close to victory several times in November and December, but having been shut out on that side of the standings column over the first seven games of the season.
"I'll take the win any time - and yes, we really needed one tonight, and hopefully that'll help our girls build their confidence as we move ahead into the meat of the conference schedule," said Bakkum.
The Vikings host perennial powerhouse - Black Hawk High School Friday night, Jan. 6.
"We need to continue to improve in striking some fear into our opponents and not only be a 30 point per game type team. As we move ahead, we must make our opponents work harder defensively against us and our defense must be consistent every night out. We have not scored a lot of points thus far this season, so if our defense ever takes a night off, we're in serious trouble," added Bakkum.
"We knew that we could force pressure on them (Weston) and could create turnovers and in doing so, we hoped to be able to convert those opportunities into points. We did a good job of that, especially early in the game, forcing them into some uncomfortable situations. Our offense continues to be somewhat of an unknown - and we don't know what were going to get from night to night. But, when our defense shows up, that's what always will give us a chance to win."
"For three quarters tonight, we played great defense, although the fourth quarter was a little bit of letdown on the defensive end. Overall though, it was a team effort on a night when we got some balance - and that's important for us, not to rely on one or two different girls but to get contributions from up and down our entire line-up."
"We also did a better job on some of the little things tonight, compared to our loss Wednesday against Mineral Point. We didn't call out screens as they approached last night, and we repeatedly gave Mineral Point second and third scoring opportunities and shots at the basket. In a contrast to that - we defended better tonight."
Pecatonica 50 Weston 20
Pecatonica 11 15 17 7
Weston 0 9 3 8
Pecatonica (fg-ft-tp) Madeline Fischer 1-1-3, Michelle Francois 7-1-16, Emily Fargo 1-0-2, Allison Swenson 1-0-2, Ashley Johnson 2-2-6, Kacey Schoepp 0-1-1, Emma Marion 2-0-4, Alexandra Ihm 2-0-4, Lizzy Britt 0-6-6, Julia Meyer 0-2-2. Three-pointers: Francois Team Totals 18 13-23 50. Total fouls 22.
Weston (fg-ft-tp) Katie Kast 3-9-15, KC Stull 1-0-2, Elle Fearing 0-1-1, Kari Cattle 1-0-2. Totals: 5 10-25 20. Total fouls 19.
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Tournament first round results from Wednesday night, Dec. 28 semi-finals.
Pointers 57 Vikings 43
Stymied in offensive output in the first and third quarters (in which Pecatonica was unable to break double figures in scoring in either period), the Vikings were beaten by 14, as coach Mitch Wainwright's Mineral Point Pointers cruised past the Vikes 57-43.
Mineral Point players utilized a critical 21 point explosion to blow the game wide open following intermission - and never looked back.
Hannah Lawinger led the Pointers with 15 points, including a trio of hoops from behind the arc.
"Hannah shot the ball really well in this one. She's certainly capable - and I don't know if she has had a situation prior to tonight in which she has had three pointers in a game," said Wainwright.
"We played our best game of the year - and our girls finally looked to the open player and delivered the basketball. We looked to get to spots on the floor, to get open and then asked for the basketball. We had only scored 40 points in a game once this season before this one. Everyone who played, contributed, and it was a nice total team effort and victory."
Hannah Goninen added 10, Caitlyn Qualley had 8, Emily Mitchell added 8 and Cassidy Ottoway hit 7 more for a balanced attack.
Pecatonica's Michelle Francois had one of the most productive evenings of her prep career, pouring in a game high 21 points for Bakkum's Vikings, including a trio of "treys". Teammate Lizzy Britt added 9.
Coach Bakkum's Pecatonica squad hosts perennial powerhouse - Black Hawk Friday evening, Jan. 6.
Mineral Point 57 Pecatonica 43
Mineral Point 13 13 21 10
Pecatonica 8 11 16 8
Mineral Point (fg-ft-tp) Hannah Lawinger 5-2-15, Carrie Graber 0-0-1, Caitlyn Qualley 4-0-8, Emily Mitchell 2-4-8, Hannah Goninen 5-0-10, Jordyn Dolphin 1-0-3, Lauren Graber 2-1-5, Cassidy Ottoway 3-1-7. Three-pointers: Lawinger 3, Dolphin. Team Totals - 22 9-16 57. Total fouls 15.
Pecatonica (fg-ft-tp) Michelle Francois 7-4-21, Emily Fargo 0-2-2, Emma Marion 2-1-5, Hannah Swenson 1-1-4, Lizzy Britt 4-0-9, Julia Meyer 1-0-2. Three-pointers: Francois 3, Swenson, Britt. Team Totals 15 8-15 43. Total fouls 14.
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River Ridge 39 Weston 7
In what was perhaps the ugliest game played on the Pecatonica hardwood this winter - to date, the River Ridge Timberwolves crushed Weston High School 39-7 in the tourney opener Wednesday.
Traci Kirschbaum paced the Wolves with a game high 19 as she accounted for nearly half her team's points.
It's not often one sees a prep team held to two scoreless quarters - or to two halves in which a team scores 5 points or less - but it happened twice Wednesday for winless Weston.
River Ridge 39 Weston 7
River Ridge 8 11 6 14
Weston 0 5 2 0
River Ridge (fg-ft-tp) Sabrina White 1-0-2, Megan Herrick 3-1-8, Angie Breuer 1-0-2, Alex Gates 2-0-4, Traci Kirschbaum 9-1-19, Taylor Crapp 1-0-2, Andrea Patterson 1-0-2. Totals 18 2-7 39. Total fouls 9.
Weston (fg-ft-tp) Katie Kast 2-1-5, KC Stull 1-0-2. Totals 3-1-7. Total fouls 7.