DIVISION 1
Fourth-seed and defending champion Appleton North (24-4) won its second consecutive championship in Division 1 with a 45-32 victory over Mukwonago in the final of the State Girls Basketball Tournament Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
The Lightning used a pair of scoring runs to take control of the game. They opened with the game’s first 10 points and never trailed. The Indians were able to cut their deficit to two points on three different occasions in the first half but were behind 23-17 at the half.
Appleton North opened the second half with a 16-2 run to take what would equal its largest lead of the game at 20 points. The Indians could get no closer than the 13-point margin representing the final score.
Sydney Levy led all scorers in the game with 17 points for the Lightning. She also led all rebounders with seven boards, and Kari Brekke added 11 points for the Lightning, which shot 53 percent as a team from the field.
The Indians were led by Natalie Anderson with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds. Kat Lopez added eight points, and Grace Beyer dished out a game-high four assists.
Appleton North won its second championship in its fifth appearance in the State tournament. Mukwonago (25-3) finishes runner-up in its ninth State tournament experience.
DIVISION 2
Defending champion and top-seeded Beaver Dam (25-2) won its second straight Division 2 title with a 51-41 win over New Berlin Eisenhower in the championship final Saturday evening in Green Bay, Wis.
The Lions opened the game with a five-point run, but the Golden Beavers erased their deficit with a 10-2 run, sparked by eight points from Paige Schumann. Beaver Dam increased a 20-16 halftime lead to 12 points with a 6-0 run in the first four minutes of the second half. The Lions could get no closer than six points the rest of the game.
Freshman Maty Wilke led the Golden Beavers in scoring with a game-high 16 points and on the boards with seven rebounds. Schumann also scored in double figures with 14 to go with four steals.
Hannah Plockelman led the Lions in scoring with 15 points and shared the team lead in rebounds with eight. Julia Hintz chipped in with 10 points to go with a team-high three assists.
Beaver Dam wins its second title in its fourth State appearance and its third experience in the championship game. The Golden Beavers also have a runner-up finish in Division 1 in 1991. New Berlin Eisenhower (24-4) finished runner-up in their sixth State Tournament appearance.
DIVISION 3
Top-seeded Marshall (27-1) won the Division 3 championship with a 63-55 win over Amherst in final at the State Girls Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals held double-digit leads in both the first half and the second half, but the Falcons clawed back on each occasion. They drew to within a point with 1:04 remaining in the game, and they had a chance to tie the score trailing 55-53 with less than a minute later but missed the front end of the bonus.
Marshall cemented the title by converting on 8-of-8 free throws in the final 32 seconds, including six by freshman Mia Morel. Morel led the Cardinals in scoring with 21 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists. Freshman Anna Lutz added 16 points with a team-high 11 boards and four blocked shots.
Heather Pearson was the Falcons’ leader on offense and defense. She scored 16 points with 11 rebounds, and she rejected seven shots, which ties a Division 3 State tournament record. Her eight blocked shots in the tournament also tied the previous mark. Geena Jensoen scored 13 points, and Lauren Boelte contributed to points.
It’s the third State championship for Marshall and the Cardinals’ first since back-to-back Class C titles in 1976-77. Amherst (26-2) finished runner-up in its seventh State tournament experience.
DIVISION 4
Top seeded Aquinas (28-0) won the battle of undefeated teams by downing second-seeded Melrose-Mindoro 68-52 in the title game to win the Division 4 championship at the State Girls Basketball Tournament in GreenBay, Wis., Saturday.
After the Mustangs took an early lead, the Blugolds responded with a 17-0 run midway through the first half to take control of the game with a 19-5 advantage with 5:24 remaining in the first half. Aquinas led by as many as 25 points in the second half to cruise to the win.
The Blugolds had a distinct advantage in the paint, outscoring the Mustangs 44-26 in the lane. Aquinas also featured a balanced scoring attack with five players in double figures. Madessa Collins, Kyah Steiner and Jessa Peterson each scored 13 points, and Lexi Donarski and Courtney Becker added 11. Steiner and Collins also grabbed double figures in rebounds with 14 and 11, respectively.
Ericka Simmons led the Mustangs with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Calette Lockington chipped in with 12 points.
It was the Blugolds first State title after finishing runner-up last season in their first State appearance. Melrose-Mindoro (27-1) finishes runner-up in its first experience in the State tournament.
DIVISION 5
Bangor (26-3) won its second State championship with a 39-29 win over Black Hawk in the Division 5 title game at the State Girls Basketball Tournament at the Resch Center Saturday.
The Cardinals scored the first five points of the game and never trailed. The Warriors battled back from a 12-point deficit in the second half to tie the game with 5:36 remaining in the game, but were outscored 12-2 down the stretch.
Points came at a premium throughout the game. The combined total of 58 points by both teams set a Division 5 State tournament record for the fewest points scored in a game. Black Hawk shot 19 percent from the floor in the game, including 3-of-31 from beyond the arc. The Warriors’ shooting woes prevented them capitalizing on 28 Cardinals’ turnovers.
Emma Wittmershaus scored a game-high nine points with nine rebounds and three blocks for the Bangor. Jaclynn Freit was the team leader on the glass with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Hannah and Bailey Butler led the Warriors with eight points apiece, and Natalie Leuzinger chipped in with six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
It was the third State appearance for the Cardinals. Black Hawk (28-1) finishes runner-up in its fourth State tournament appearance.