Milwaukee Academy of Science 51, Clayton 47

Loyal 44, Bangor 24

Loyal (24-4) advances to the championship game in Division 5 with a 44-24 win over Bangor in the semifinals Friday afternoon at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Both teams held leads in the first half, but the complexion of the game changed early in the second half. The Greyhounds erased an 18-16 deficit with a 22-0 run to open a 38-18 lead.The Loyal defense held the Cardinals scoreless for a 17:44 period spanning from the end of the first half to late in the second half.

The Cardinals fell victim to a shooting slump, converting on 17 percent of their shots in the game, including a 2-for-30 tally in the second half and a 3-for-18 effort from beyond the arc. Loyal shot 40 percent in the game and 54 percent in the second half. The Greyhounds had a significant advantage inside, outscoring the Cardinals 34-8 on shots in the paint.

Karsyn Rueth and Morgan Reinwand shared scoring honors for the Greyhounds with 11 points apiece. The duo also led the Greyhounds on the glass, collecting nine and eight rebounds, respectively. Emma Wittmershaus led Bangor with eight points.

Loyal advances to the championship game in the its first State appearance, and Bangor (24-4) is eliminated from title contention in its second appearance.

The MIlwaukee Academy of Science (23-4) will play for the championship in the program’s first appearance in the State Tournament after topping previously undefeated Clayton, 51-47.

Clayton (27-1) led the entire first half and by as many as seven points before the Novas whittled their deficit down to tie the game at 18-18 before intermission. The Novas held on to the momentum early in the second half to grab their first lead of game at the 17:47 mark. 

The Novas went on an 11-0 run to take control of the game and led by as many as 14 with 8 minustes remaining in the game. The Bears rallied to narrow their deficit to six with 18 second remaining, but could get no closer t down the stretch.

Shemera Williams provided 65 percent of the offensive output for the Novas with a game-high 33 points, two-points shy of the Division 5 record, and added eight rebounds. Tamarra Pugh-Torres provided scoring support with nine points. Clayton was led by Alison Leslie with 20 points, and Kailey Ketz added 14.

Clayton ends its third experience at State with their second straight appearance in the semifinals.