---

Mineral Point's girls basketball team was looking for a little - no make that a lot - of revenge Thursday night when they met up with SWAL winner Cuba City in a Division 4 girls basketball sectional semifinal game at Verona.
The Pointer girls had lost to the Cubans twice in regular season play, their only two conference losses of the season, 66-43 and 76-43. Plus the previously unbeaten Pointer boys had lost in tournament play to Cuba City just the week before, knocking them out of tournament play.
So was an upset in the making?
Pointer sophomore Clara Cham-bers scored the first bucket of the game at the 7:23 mark of the opening quarter, but several steals and turnovers, caused by the Cuban pressure, led to a 13-4 CC lead at the 2:35 mark.
Pointer freshman Destinee Kruser came off the bench and quickly made her presence known, driving the lane, getting fouled and making the free throw and they were close at 13-7 when the period ended.
Following a basket inside from Molly Wedige the Cubans held a 22-15 advantage midway into quarter two. But another Pointer freshman, Syd Staver, had the answer as she came up with nine points, including a pair of free throws just before halftime to give her team a 25-24 lead.
The second half started like the first quarter with the Cubans getting three steal steals in a row and taking a 36-32 lead. After a Jessica Schultz bucket for the Pointers, Cuban Chloe Pustina hit a three pointer and Shay Lierman got free for a layup and they ended the period with a seemingly insurmountable 50-39 lead.
But, Chambers and company had other ideas.
Schulz made a bucket inside and Chambers nailed a three and another Schultz bucket made it 51-44.
Kruser banked in a shot while driving the lane and Chambers nailed two consecutive threes and suddenly the Cuban lead was only three at 55-52 with 2:46 left.
Chambers had a potential game-tying three go down, but come back out. Then, on the ensuing Cuban Possession, sophomore Jessi Marti - who had to sit out after being injured on a drive in the lane moments before - nailed a three pointer. The Cubans regained possession of the ball after forcing a jump ball in the Pointer zone at the 1:25 mark and it became a free throw game after that.
Forced to foul, the Pointers sent Pustina to the line three times (twice after defensive stops) and the junior answered by making all six of her tosses.
Final score: Cuba City 64, Mineral Point 54.
Chambers led all scorers with 21 points, including four from downtown. Staver added 12 with Kruser chipping in 10 off the bench.
Marti's 20 paced the Cubans with Wedige hitting 16 and Pustina adding 12.
"We talked about their pressure - how they would try to put the game away in the first quarter," said Pointer coach Mitch Wainwright. "After we led at halftime we knew they would do the same in the third. I was happy with the way we responded. We didn't let it bother us and got the three pointer look we wanted. We wanted Clara to take it and it went in and out."
"From there on, we had to foul and they put the ball into the hands of their best free throw shooters," he added.
Besides praising the play of Chambers and, in fact, all the team, Wainwright talked about his freshman - Kruser.
"Destinee came in when the hole seemed pretty deep and gave us a spark. Her three point play in the first quarter seemed ot settle us down and let us know we could play with them," he said.
"We had to make most of our points from the outside tonight. We weren't efficient inside. They doubled Jessica inside and limited her touches. When we got her the ball they were surrounding her," he said.
Cuba City coach and former Highland athlete Jeff Pustina said about the game, "Mineral Point played a great game. They made shots, especially in the first half. We were more patient with the ball in the second half and knocked some down. At halftime we talked about how we were living and dying with the outside shot and got the ball inside more. We were able to get the ball inside more, created some shots and got to the line more."
About near the end of the game the coach said, "We ran our spread offense pretty well and got the ball into Chloe's and Jessi's hands. Their free throw shooting sealed the deal."
The #1 Cubans moved on to Saturday night play at DeForest against #2 Luther, a 60-55 winner over #1 Markesan.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
MP 7 18 14 15-54
CC  13 11 26 14-64
BOX SCORE
MINERAL POINT 54 (fg, ft, tp) Staver 4-2/2-12, Chambers 8-1/1-21, Chubb 1-0-2, Wainwright 1-1/1-3, Kruser 4-2/3-10, Schultz 3-0-6. Totals 21-6/7-54. F-13. 3-pointers: Staver 2, Chambers 4.
CUBA CITY 64: Hoppenjan 1-0-2, Marti 7-5/6-20, Pustina 2-6/6-12, Loeffelholz 1-0-2, Lierman 3-1/2-7, Kaiser 2-1/2-5, Wedige 7-2/2-16. Totals 23-15/18-64. F-12. 3-pointers: Marti 1, Pustina 2.